Hamas stated it would reject any deal that did not involve a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. In its response to the Israeli proposal for a hostage deal, Hamas insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor, according to Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad informed Al Jazeera that they were prepared to “engage constructively to reach an agreement,” emphasizing their primary objective of halting Israeli operations in Gaza.
Egypt and Qatar also affirmed their examination of the deal and commitment to continue mediating between Israel and Hamas until an agreement is reached.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Hamas on Wednesday during a press conference in Doha with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to reports from Israeli media.
Blinken stated that “rather than responding positively to the [ceasefire and hostage release] proposal, they are demanding significant changes to the agreement.”
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan informed the Hezbollah-aligned channel Al Mayadeen that they had revised the ceasefire proposal to make it clear that it would not be permanent, contrary to President Biden’s suggestion.