The United States and the United Kingdom have urged Hamas to accept an Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of some hostages held in the besieged territory.
British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron disclosed that the Israeli proposal delivered to Hamas includes a 40-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of “potentially thousands” of Palestinian prisoners in return for the release of some Israeli hostages.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Cameron described the offer as “generous.”
Emphasizing that the war won’t end until all the captives are released, Cameron urged Hamas to accept the deal.
“I hope Hamas do take this deal and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal’, accept the generosity of the offer of a ceasefire that has been negotiated with Israel.”
David Cameron
He added that for a “political horizon for a two-state solution,” with an independent Palestine co-existing with Israel, the “people responsible for October 7, the Hamas leadership, would have to leave Gaza and you’ve got to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza.”
Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that he hoped that Hamas would accept the proposal.
“They have to decide – and they have to decide quickly … I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision,” Blinken said.
Moreso, Cameron asserted that peace and stability in the Middle East was unobtainable “unless you deal with the question of the future for the Palestinian people” but was quick to add, “I don’t think we should be naive and think that all the problems will be solved if that were to happen.”
He claimed that there was a variety of conflicts in the Middle East, “including a conflict within Islam between those who want to see Islam as a religion of peace that can exist in all sorts of different states, but in a stable way, and those who have an extremist version of Islam.”
“I don’t believe, even if there was a Palestinian state created tomorrow, that Iran and its leaders would say, ‘Well, that’s all fine, now it’s all sorted.’”
“Iran believes fundamentally in the destruction of Israel as a state, and Iran, through its support for Hamas in Gaza, through its support of the Houthis in Yemen, through its support of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is a force of malign activity in this region, which is deeply destabilising, deeply troubling.
“We do need to have a tougher, more deterrent approach right across the board to what Iran has been doing.”
David Cameron
Cameron also said that there needed to be “a change of thinking in Israel about the fact they should support a two-state solution, because it’s fundamentally in their long-term interest, but it also requires a change of thought amongst Palestinians and others about the nature of the future relationship with Israel.”
Hamas Iterates Stance On Ceasefire
Meanwhile, senior Hamas spokesperson, Osama Hamdan reiterated the group’s stance on a ceasefire, including the withdrawal of troops in Gaza and the return of Palestinians to their homes.
“It’s clear from the Israeli paper that they are still insisting on two major issues,” he told a news agency.
“They don’t want a complete ceasefire and they are not talking, in a serious way, about the withdrawal from Gaza. In fact, they are still talking about their presence … which means that they will keep continuing [occupying] Gaza.
“We have serious questions for the mediators. If there [are] positive answers, I think we can move forward.”
Osama Hamdan
Hamas has repeatedly said that it wants a permanent end to the fighting as part of any deal to release captives.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also claimed that the Israeli proposal was an “extraordinarily generous” offer.
However, Hamdan stressed, “Stopping the attacks against Palestinians is not generous. The attack itself is a crime, so when you stop a crime, you can’t claim that it’s a generous action from the Israeli side.”
READ ALSO: Spanish Prime Minister Announces Decision To Remain In Power
