From the Liveblog of
Saturday, August 17, 2024
Senior Hamas official: US bridging proposal aligns with Israeli conditions for deal
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
A senior Hamas official says the US ceasefire proposal aimed at bridging the gaps between Israel and Hamas aligns with the new demands Israel made last month.
“We have confirmed once again that the occupation does not want to reach an agreement and continues to evade and obstruct it, and insists on adding the new conditions it announced to obstruct the agreement,” the senior Hamas official says in a statement to reporters.
The Hamas official calls on the mediators to pressure Israel to agree to the latest proposal that the terror group submitted early last month.
That offer saw Hamas cave on its key demand for an up-front Israeli commitment for a permanent ceasefire, but did include a series of new conditions — many of which rejected by Israel and the mediators.
Hamas says it remains committed to an agreement with Israel on those terms.
“Any agreement must guarantee the cessation of aggression against our people, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, provision of urgent relief in the form of food and medicine, and reaching a real deal to exchange prisoners,” the Hamas statement says.
