US President Joe Biden, who made the announcement the day after Hamas responded to a cease-fire plan he proposed in late May, praised the action. Earlier that month, in Cairo, there were final indirect negotiations.
Although Hamas’s most recent reaction is still under wraps, a Palestinian official told the news that the organization was no longer calling for a complete ceasefire at the beginning of Mr. Biden’s proposal.
A senior US administration official stated that Hamas had agreed to “quite significant adjustments” to its stance.
fewThe US official stated, “We’ve made progress on a crucial deadlock,” but he made it clear that “this does not mean this deal is going to be closed in the period of days.”
reachAccording to the official, President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke over the phone on Thursday, discussing the discussions for a ceasefire and the captives.
The political leadership of Hamas announced on Wednesday that it had communicated with mediators in Egypt and Qatar over concepts it had been debating in order to get to a consensus.
willThus far, Hamas has called for the cessation of hostilities and the complete evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel warns that until it destroys Hamas, it would only accept brief cessations of hostilities.