Hamas has asked mediators to present a plan based upon previous truce talks instead of attempting to find a new Gaza ceasefire deal, days ahead of talks proposed by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
In a statement on its official Telegram channel, the group said that it wants a plan “based on [US President Joe] Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal, the framework laid out by mediators Qatar and Egypt on May 6, and UN Security Council Resolution 2735“.
The May 6 proposal, which Hamas previously agreed to and Israel rejected, also ensures the release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Sunday’s Hamas statement added that “the mediators should enforce this [May 6 proposal] on the occupation [Israel] instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation’s aggression and grant it more time to continue its genocide against our people”.
Reporting from Amman, Jordan, media’s Hamdah Salhut said that Israeli media outlets are interpreting the Hamas statement as a rejection of the ceasefire talks altogether.
“But their [Hamas] statement did not say that. They’re merely calling on mediators to put the original proposal that they had agreed to, on the table,” she said.
Last week, leaders of the US, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to meet for negotiations on August 15 in either Cairo or Doha to finalise a Gaza ceasefire and captive release deal.
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