https://arab.news/yzmr3
- Doha said Tuesday Gaza ceasefire proposal was “almost identical” to version previously agreed by Israel
- Mediators are awaiting official Israeli response, day after Hamas signalled readiness for fresh round of talks
DUBAI: Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that a Gaza ceasefire proposal endorsed by Hamas was “almost identical” to a version previously agreed by Israel, though it cautioned against assuming a breakthrough has been reached.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha that Hamas had given a “very positive response” to the latest draft.
“It truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to,” he said in a live streamed press conference on Tuesday.
However, Al-Ansari stressed that Israel had yet to reply but hoped for a quick and positive response.
Pressed on whether the current text differed from an earlier proposal advanced by US envoy Steve Witkoff, Al-Ansari declined to go into detail, citing the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations.
“What is important here is to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties in word and in essence. And that’s what we have been working on in the past days,” he said.
The spokesman described the situation as “a very defining humanitarian moment,” warning that failure to reach a deal could worsen the crisis.
“If this proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate, and therefore Qatar in cooperation with Egypt and the other global players, including the US, are doing all they can in order to reach a ceasefire,” he said.
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official on Tuesday said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any future Gaza ceasefire deal.
Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan.
The two foes have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but they have ultimately failed to broker a lasting ceasefire.
Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy.
Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding “the ball is now in its court.”
* With AFP