Talks to bring about a ceasefire and hostage deal that could stop the war in Gaza were thrown into doubt.
Ceasefire talks in turmoil as Hamas responds to proposal
Talks to bring about a ceasefire and hostage deal that could stop the war in Gaza were thrown into doubt Tuesday evening when Israel characterized a Hamas response to the latest proposal as a rejection, precipitating a blame game between the two sides.
Hamas had submitted its response to Qatari mediators, proposing amendments to the Israeli proposal, including a timeline for a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN earlier on Tuesday.
A diplomatic source familiar with ongoing negotiations, however, told CNN Wednesday that Hamas has neither accepted nor rejected the deal, and that framing the Hamas response as a rejection is misleading.
Talks are expected continue via the Qatari and Egyptian mediators in coordination with the United States to see if an agreement can be reached, the source added.
After submitting its response Tuesday, Hamas spokesman and political bureau member Osama Hamdan told Lebanon-based TV Al Mayadeen, the group was committed to achieving a ceasefire. « Our response is a clear reaffirmation of our commitment to the ceasefire and withdrawal from Gaza, a commitment we have consistently upheld », Hamdan added.
But in a potential sign of how Israel views the proposed amendments, one Israeli official described Hamas’ response to the original deal as a rejection.
« Israel received the Hamas answer from the mediators. In its response, Hamas rejected the outline of the deal for the release of the hostages presented by US President Biden », the official told CNN. Other news organizations report the same initial Israeli response.
