Senior Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan said on Tuesday that the temporary ceasefire proposal, which in his words was leaked by the United States as a way of influencing Palestinian public opinion, does not meet the militant group’s demands. “The Paris Summit draft is an American proposal and its goal is to give [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu more time to prepare for a new attack,” Hamdan told Al Araby, stressing that the leaked document is being used for “propaganda” purposes. In last night’s appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” United States President Joe Biden disclosed that Israel agreed to halt attacks in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan. The reported six-week ceasefire deal, which was previously shared by Al Jazeera and Western media, would include a prisoner swap agreement that would see the release of roughly 400 Palestinians from Israel in return for the liberation of 40 hostages from the Gaza Strip.
Qatar: No breakthrough on Gaza ceasefire deal yet
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari stated during a press conference in Doha on Tuesday that there has been no progress in the discussion between Hamas and Israel regarding a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages, despite reports of a leaked proposal for a truce. “There are many developments that have taken place within the framework of mediation efforts and are continuing at various levels regarding mediation and we have nothing new to announce,” Al Ansari added. “There is no agreement between Hamas and Israel on any of the main issues linked to a Gaza ceasefire.” Furthermore, Al Ansari stated that Qatar cannot comment on United States President Joe Biden’s statement that a ceasefire is expected to be reached by Monday.