Hamas Rejects New US Ceasefire Proposal That Includes Netanyahu’s Demands

Hamas wants to implement a ceasefire deal proposed by Biden in May

Hamas said on Sunday that it rejected a new Gaza ceasefire proposal from the US because it includes demands from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that are meant to sabotage the chances of a deal.

“After being briefed by the mediators about what happened in the last round of talks in Doha, we once again came to the conclusion that Netanyahu is still putting obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement and is setting new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators’ efforts and prolonging the war,” Hamas said.

The Palestinian group said the proposal does not include a permanent ceasefire or Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It also includes conditions for Israel to maintain control of the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip, and the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the Philadelphi corridor.

Hamas said the proposal also reverses previous concessions made by Israel regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners. Hamas said Netanyahu is “fully responsible for the failure of the mediators’ efforts, the obstruction of reaching an agreement, and full responsibility for the lives of his captives, who are exposed to the same danger as our people due to his continued aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip.”

Before the renewed hostage deal talks started this past Thursday, Hamas said that it wanted to implement the ceasefire proposal President Biden unveiled back in May. At the time, Biden claimed it was an Israeli proposal, but once Hamas agreed to the language in the proposal, Netanyahu began adding new conditions.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that he wouldn’t back down on his demands. “I want to emphasize we are conducting negotiations [“give-and-take” in Hebrew], and not give-and-give,” he said at a security cabinet meeting, according to The Times of Israel. “There are areas where we can show flexibility, and there are areas where we can’t show flexibility — and we are standing firm on them. We know quite well how to distinguish between the two.”

Israeli media also reported that Netanyahu told his ministers that the chances of a ceasefire deal were “not high.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday to push for a ceasefire deal, but there’s no sign the US will actually use the significant leverage it has over Israel to achieve one. The administration has refused to condition military aid on a Gaza ceasefire and continues to ship weapons and approve new major arms deals for Israel.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.