Qatar has disclosed that Israel has not yet responded to the ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas earlier this month, saying that the warring country seems “unwilling to reach an agreement.”
The statement by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari comes a week after Hamas said it had informed mediators Egypt and Qatar that it had agreed to the proposal and was ready to resume negotiations to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which now threatens further mass displacement amid Israeli-made starvation.
Israel has yet to respond, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that he is “immediately” starting negotiations to release all the hostages and end the war.
The latest proposal put forward by mediators involves an initial 60-day truce and staggered exchanges of Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners, but Israel has appeared reluctant to budge from its latest demand that all the captives be freed at once.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that the statements [from Israel] that “we are hearing right now do not fill us with confidence.”
While Qatar pledged to continue its efforts to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, al-Ansari called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to accept the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal.
“We are in contact with all parties in pursuit of a ceasefire agreement, but there is no official Israeli response – neither acceptance, rejection, nor the presentation of an alternative proposal.”
Majed al-Ansari
Al-Ansari said that mediators did not “take seriously” any announcements outside the negotiation process itself and that Israel is now responsible for responding to the current offer. “Anything else is political posturing by the Israeli side,” he said, adding, “We are awaiting an official response to the proposal.”
Also, al-Ansari noted that ut does not matter to Egypt or Qatar where the negotiations are held, after Israeli media suggested relocating the venue of the negotiations to another country.
“What Hamas agreed to is identical to what Israel had already agreed to. The ball is now in Israel’s court, and it seems Israel does not want to reach an agreement or even respond to the proposal.”
Majed al-Ansari
Moreover, al-Ansari said that Qatar does not see “any positive trajectory coming out of this escalation on the ground,” referring to Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City.
“Instead of getting an answer to the proposal on the table, the only thing we have seen is threatening to occupy the city of Gaza, attacking civilians as they wait for aid, and the purposeful targeting of your colleagues and my colleagues, journalists in Gaza.”
Majed al-Ansari
Nationwide Protest Calling For Gaza Ceasefire Held In Israel
Meanwhile, Israelis started a nationwide day of protest today, blocking highways and burning tires as they called for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would secure the release of hostages held there.
Hostage families and other supporters joined the protest, calling it the “day of struggle.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that the protest opened with the displaying of giant Israeli flags outside the US Embassy branch in Tel Aviv. “The message was clear: 6:29 AM on October 7th – the time our lives changed, this is the time we open the national day of struggle,” the forum said.
Hagit Chen, mother of Itay Chen who was killed on October 7, 2023 during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, stressed that there is an offer on the table.
“We demand that our leaders sit at the negotiation table and not get up until there is an agreement that guarantees when the last hostage will return.”
Hagit Chen
Yehuda Cohen, the father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said that more than 80 percent want an end to the war and a hostage deal, adding, “All of Israel wants an end to this nightmare.”
READ ALSO: Reform UK Floats Taliban Deal On Migrants
