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full screen The situation is difficult to assess, says Antony Blinken in Arizona. Photo: Jake Bacon/AP/TT
A Hamas delegation is now reported to be on its way to Cairo to respond to the latest proposals for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, there are reports that the US wants to present the terrorist-branded movement with an ultimatum.
Palestinian representatives state that Hamas negotiators will arrive in the Egyptian capital on Saturday, writes the AFP news agency. The pressure is on them to provide a response to the proposals put forward by the mediators for a ceasefire.
Israel’s mediators have been involved in drawing up the proposals. But the country’s government has not finally approved them, so even if Hamas gives the green light, the last word is not said.
According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, Israel is prepared to give the peace talks one more week, then the plan is to launch a ground offensive against Rafah. In the southern Gaza City, over a million Palestinian refugees are gathered, so the outside world is warning of a humanitarian disaster.
Pressuring the exile leaders
At the same time, there are reports that the US is trying to pressure the exiled leaders of Hamas, by demanding that Qatar throw them out if there is no yes to the peace proposals.
Hamas’ top political leader lives an orderly life in Qatar’s capital, Doha, far from the chaos of war in the Gaza Strip.
But an informed source is doubtful about the arrangement, according to The Washington Post.
– The problem is that the men who make the decisions are in Gaza. They don’t care where the political leadership is.
Makes the process more difficult
US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken admits that the situation is difficult to assess.
– There may be different things going on, we will get a clearer picture in the next few days, he says at a meeting in Arizona, reports media on site.
He is on the same track as The Washington Post’s source when he points to several factors that complicate the process.
– We have indirect contact – via Qatar, via Egypt – with Hamas leaders who live in places other than Gaza. Those who make the final decisions are people on the ground in the Gaza Strip. None of us have direct contact with them.