In a recent update, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman announced that Hamas has not provided its response to a proposed ceasefire plan with Israel in Gaza, which includes an exchange of hostages and prisoners. “Mediators have not yet received a response from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding the latest proposal,” stated Majed al-Ansari to Qatar’s state news agency. He added that Hamas is still considering the proposal and that mediation efforts are ongoing.
Qatar, in collaboration with the United States and Egypt, has been involved in extensive negotiations aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza. Despite a brief seven-day pause in November that resulted in the release of over 100 hostages, hostilities have continued without interruption.
To reinvigorate negotiations, US President Joe Biden recently announced a new three-stage roadmap proposed by Israel. In related developments, Egypt has reported receiving positive indications from Hamas about a potential agreement with Israel, as reported by state-affiliated Al-Qahera News, which cited a high-ranking source. This update came following a series of meetings in Doha involving Hamas representatives, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
However, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official based in Beirut, expressed skepticism about the US president’s outline of the framework. “There is no proposal — they are just words said by Biden in a speech,” Hamdan remarked, emphasizing that no documented or written commitment has been presented by the Americans to support Biden’s statements.
On the same day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry engaged in discussions in Cairo with Brett McGurk, President Biden’s top Middle East adviser.
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