Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, Dr. Ahmad Abdulhadi, told Sky News that there have been “no improvements” towards a ceasefire agreement with Israel despite United States President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing optimism over the latest round of talks. “The Biden administration is trying to show that the environment is positive. But the first round showed there are no improvements,” Abdulhadi stated. “The mediators told us that the disagreed points haven’t been solved and Netanyahu added more conditions on it and made it even more complicated,” he added. Earlier, Biden claimed an agreement is “in sight” amid talks in Cairo between Israel and mediators from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, while Netanyahu stated his country’s negotiators showed “cautious optimism” about reaching an agreement. On the other hand, Hamas, which refused to send a delegation to the talks, urged mediators to pressure Israel to accept the US ceasefire proposal.
Israel cautiously optimistic about Gaza ceasefire after talks
Israeli negotiators have shown “cautious optimism” about reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after recent talks in Doha, Qatar, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. According to Israel, the optimism stems from a new American proposal and the pressure exerted on Hamas by the US and mediators. The statement further noted that negotiators believe this pressure might overcome Hamas’s resistance to the proposal, possibly leading to a breakthrough in the discussions. Hamas, however, refused to send a delegation to the latest round of talks, which began on Thursday.
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