Hamas says US new proposals on Gaza ceasefire absurd, in favor of Israel

Osama Hamdan, who is Hamas’s representative in Lebanon and also a member of the group’s politburo, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic rejected Washington’s new proposals saying they contain nothing new which are only aimed at buying time for Israel to commit more crimes.

“There is nothing new except what we hear in the media and what is being discussed with mediators about the US president’s intention to present a new proposal,” he said.

“However, it is clear that the US administration has largely been a partner to the occupation in all the acts of genocide committed in Gaza,” he stated.

Hamdan urged Washington to pressure Netanyahu into abiding by an already-agreed-upon deal on July 2, instead of proposing new initiatives.

“What is needed is not a new initiative; what is needed is to compel Netanyahu to adhere to what was presented and agreed upon by the resistance on July 2nd. This is the solution, not more negotiations with no horizon,” he added.

“The American talk of presenting an initiative is an attempt to absorb the anger resulting from the failure of ‘Israel’ and the US, and another attempt to buy time to give Netanyahu more opportunities to kill the Palestinian people.”

According to Hamdan, Israel’s full withdrawal from all Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor and a permanent ceasefire are part of that deal and the resistance will not back down from its demands.

The remarks came after the White House said a new initiative for a Gaza ceasefire was set to be announced on Friday.

Hamas has reportedly accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal, which includes a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, an exchange of prisoners, reconstruction of the territory, and the lifting of Israel’s blockade.

However, Israel rejected the ceasefire deal, with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying a withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip would “leave Hamas intact”.

Hamdan added on Tuesday night that “Netanyahu was clear and explicit that he would not accept any new initiatives during his press conference” on Monday.

Netanyahu said that Israel would not relinquish control over a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egyptian border.

On Monday night, Hamas said Netanyahu’s comments are an acknowledgment of his desperation and liability for the failure to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, stated that the Israeli prime minister and his criminal war cabinet have failed to achieve any of their declared objectives in Gaza except for numerous massacres in the besieged coastal sliver.

The Hamas official placed full responsibility for the lives and safety of Israeli captives in Gaza on Netanyahu, emphasizing that he insists on killing them and overlooks their situation despite resistance factions’ reasonable care for their safety and proper treatment.

In Tel Aviv, Netanyahu is also under immense criticism for blocking a truce deal with his insistence on continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor and central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor.

The Israeli opposition has blasted Netanyahu’s comments that Philadelphi is essential for Israel to achieve its war aims as “baseless political spin.”

Israel has killed almost 40,800 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.