US president’s remarks that there could be truce by Monday are ‘premature’, says political head of Hamas in Gaza
Israeli and Hamas officials have downplayed hopes expressed by Joe Biden that a ceasefire in the war in Gaza is imminent, raising questions about whether a temporary truce can be implemented before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in two weeks’ time.
Basem Naim, the head of Hamas’s political division in Gaza, said over WhatsApp on Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement had not yet formally received a new proposal for a ceasefire since last week’s indirect talks in Paris mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
The US leader’s remarks late on Monday that a temporary truce could be implemented as soon as 4 March were “premature” and did “not match the reality on the ground”, he said. Ahmad Abdel-Hadi, a Hamas representative in Beirut, also told a Lebanese broadcaster that significant progress on a deal had not been made.
Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Biden’s comments came as a surprise and were not made in coordination with the country’s leadership. Hamas was continuing to push “excessive demands”, they said.
The remarks pour cold water on comments made by Biden in New York on Monday. “My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close. We’re not done yet,” Biden told reporters after taping an appearance on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers. “My hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a ceasefire.”
During the Meyers interview, Biden also said Israel would be willing to temporarily halt its war during the fasting month if a deal were reached to release some of the hostages.
