Hamas accuses Israel of not being serious about Biden's ceasefire roadmap accusing Netanyahu of 'maneuvering under the US cover' hours after President told them 'this deal must get done'
Hamas has accused Israel of not being serious about Biden's ceasefire roadmap after accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of 'maneuvering under the US cover' just hours after Joe Biden told them 'this deal must get done'.
President Joe Biden urged both Israel and Hamas to back his ceasefire roadmap, which he presented on Friday, and called for 'all appropriate measures' to be used to secure the agreement.
But on Tuesday, Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the Palestinian militant group frowns upon Washington and the West's calls for it to accept Biden's proposal on Gaza 'as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal'.
In comments reported by Hamas media, Abu Zuhri said Israel is not serious about reaching a deal in Gaza and is still maneuvering under the US' cover.
Biden last night revealed on his POTUS X, formerly Twitter, account that he is working on the ceasefire and hostage deal that will allow the US and its allies to begin working on rebuilding 'homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza to help repair communities destroyed in the chaos of war.
'This deal must get done,' he emphasized.
US President Joe Biden has called for both Israel and Hamas to back his Gaza ceasefire roadmap that he presented on Friday
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the militant group believe Israel is not serious about reaching a ceasefire deal
In a following post, Biden revealed he had been in conversation with Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar to discuss how the ceasefire and hostage deal 'offers a concrete roadmap for ending the crisis in Gaza'.
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'I urged Amir Tamim to use all appropriate measures to secure Hamas' acceptance of the deal and thanked him and his team for their tireless efforts to secure the release of all hostages held in Gaza,' he said.
'The United States, together with Egypt and Qatar, will work to ensure the full implementation of this agreement'.
Qatar, which has been mediating on the Gaza conflict, has also called for both Israel and Hamas to accept President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal.
Qatar said Tuesday it was waiting for a 'clear position' from Israel on a proposed Gaza ceasefire add hostage release deal.
'We are waiting for a clear Israeli position that represents the entire government in response to the US's Gaza proposal,' said Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.
'The ceasefire deal should immediately end the long suffering of all people in Gaza and the hostages and their families and provide a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the crisis.
'We have read and seen the contradictory statements coming in from Israeli ministers, which doesn't give us much confidence of there being a unified position in Israel over this current proposal on the table.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister's Netanyahu's biggest coalition partner, Shas, said it would also lend 'full support' for a prospective deal to free hostages from Hamas captivity
Palestinians inspect a vehicle hit in an Israeli strike, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, June 4
'We haven't seen any statements on both sides that give us a lot of confidence,' Al-Ansari added, noting, however, that 'the process is progressing and we have been working with both sides on proposals on the table'.
Qatar said that it is still waiting to reach language that is agreed by both parties.
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Far-right Israeli ministers threaten to COLLAPSE Netanyahu's Government if he accepts 'non-starter' Gaza peace plan unveiled by Biden amid row over ceasefire terms
However, on the Israeli side, two ultra-Orthodox ministers showed their support of the US-led deal on Monday, with one saying his entire party will back 'any measure' that brings the captives home, reported The Times of Israel.
The development came following threats by the far-right flank of Israeli government to bolt the coalition if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approves a hostage and truce deal presented by Biden.
'I told the representatives of the kidnapped families today that our position is that there is nothing greater than the value of life and the mitzvah of ransoming captives, because there is a real and tangible danger to their lives,' United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf posted on X, alongside a photo of himself meeting relatives of hostages.
'Therefore, we will support any proposal that will lead to the release of the abductees,' added Goldknopf.
And on Tuesday, Netanyahu's biggest coalition partner said it would also lend 'full support' for a prospective deal to free hostages from Hamas captivity even if that would entails 'far-reaching steps' in Gaza war strategy.
The statement by Shas, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party followed open opposition to such a deal by two far-right coalition partners.
It comes just three days after Netanyahu dismissed the permanent ceasefire proposal as 'a non-starter' despite Biden revealing the plan had originated in Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with his new Minister of Health and Interior, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party Aryeh Deri, as the new government is sworn in, in Jerusalem on December 29, 2022
The political leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party Eli Yishai (L) talks to the group's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (C) during a meeting of the Shas' ruling Council of Torah Sages in Jerusalem 07 July 2000
Netanyahu wrote on X, 'Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
'Under the proposal, Israel will continue to insist these conditions are met before a permanent ceasefire is put in place.
The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.'
Biden on Friday laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal from Israel to Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to end the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
The offer calls for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
The US has also urged the UN Security Council to support Biden's three-phase plan.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States circulated a draft resolution to the 14 other council members to back the proposal for ending the conflict.
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'Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions,' she said in a statement.
The brief draft resolution would welcome the May 31 deal announced by Biden and call on Hamas 'to accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and without condition.' Hamas has said it views the proposal 'positively'.
It makes no mention of Israeli acceptance of the deal.
When Biden made the announcement he called it an Israeli offer that includes an 'enduring ceasefire' and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza if Hamas releases all hostages it is holding.
It comes after four more hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7 massacre in southern Israel were confirmed dead on Monday.
Nadav Popplewell, 51, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Chaim Peri, 79, all died several months ago while being held by Hamas in the Khan Younis area, The Times of Israel reported.
Israel's military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the four men died together when the Israel Defense Forces were operating in Khan Younis earlier this year, though he didn't offer a definitive cause of death.
Amiram Cooper, left, and Chaim Peri, right, were part of the same kibbutz just a mile outside of Gaza before they were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7. They were confirmed dead on Monday
Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, were also confirmed dead after being held captive in Khan Younis by Hamas since October 7. Israel's military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari didn't confirm how the men died
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We are checking all of the options,' Hagari said. 'There are a lot of questions.'
Qatar, with the US and Egypt, has been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations over details for a ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners by both sides.
But with the exception of a seven-day break in the fighting beginning in November that led to the release of more than 100 hostages, a series of in-person mediation efforts have not stopped the fighting.
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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu dismisses President Biden's Gaza ceasefire drive as 'a non-starter'
In an effort to reinvigorate talks, US President Joe Biden said on Friday that Israel was offering a new three-stage roadmap towards a full ceasefire, including the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
According to the US president, Israel's three-stage offer would begin with a six-week phase that would see Israeli forces withdraw from all populated areas of Gaza and an initial hostage-prisoner exchange.
The parties would then negotiate for a lasting ceasefire, with the truce to continue as long as talks are ongoing.
In its final phase, the plan would lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power, Biden said.
'There is momentum internationally, driven by the US... but we need to be very cautious,' Ansari said.
'We are using our leverage as a mediator...to make sure that both sides understand the gravity of the situation and the need to reach an agreement.'
Negotiations ground to a halt in early May as Israel began ground operations in Rafah in southern Gaza.
Previous frameworks presented by mediators have run aground over Hamas's demand that any truce lead to a permanent ceasefire, while Israel has said it must be allowed to pursue its war aim of destroying the Palestinian militant group.