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Hamas rejects ‘new’ truce conditions as Biden says deal closer than ever


By AFP
Published : 17 Aug 2024 09:31 PM

Hamas said Friday the Palestinian group rejected "new conditions" in a Gaza ceasefire plan the United States presented after two days of talks with Israeli negotiators in Qatar.

As international pressure mounted for a ceasefire after more than 10 months of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, US President Joe Biden said: "We are closer than we have ever been."

Washington has joined its European allies in pushing for a swift ceasefire in Gaza since the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Iran blamed on Israel prompted threats of retaliation and fears of a wider Middle East war.

Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been seeking to finalise details of a framework initially outlined by Biden in May, and which he said Israel had proposed.

But months of talks have so far failed to pin down the details of a truce and hostage release deal.

The mediators said that the two days of talks in Doha were "serious and constructive".

In a joint statement, they said the United States had presented a "bridging proposal" that sought to secure a rapid deal at a new round of talks in Cairo next week.

Hamas swiftly announced its opposition to what it called "new conditions" from Israel in the latest plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile called on the mediators to put "pressure" on Hamas "to accept the May 27 principles", referring to Biden's framework.

- 'Need for calm' - An informed source told AFP that the conditions Hamas objected to included keeping Israeli troops inside Gaza along the territory's border with Egypt, veto rights for Israel on the Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged for Israeli hostages, and the ability to deport some prisoners rather than send them back to Gaza.

Qatar's lead mediator, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani spoke with Iran's acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri to brief him about the talks, the foreign ministry in Doha said.

"During the call, they reviewed ... the latest developments in the joint mediation efforts to end the war on the Strip, and stressed the need for calm and de-escalation in the region," the Qatari statement said. 

Diplomatic pressure on Israel to agree a truce has increased in recent weeks.

Hamas officials, some analysts and protesters in Israel have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war.

Ahead of a visit to Israel on Friday with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "The risk of the situation spiralling out of control is rising."

Britain's foreign ministry said the two ministers would "stress there is no time for delays or excuses from all parties on a ceasefire deal" in Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told his visiting counterparts he expects foreign support "in attacking" Iran if it strikes Israel in revenge for Haniyeh's killing.

Sejourne replied that it would be "inappropriate" to discuss responding to any attack while diplomacy is in high gear to stop it happening.