Gaza Ceasefire and Hostage Negotiations Paused as U.S. Continues to Pressure Israel
With the latest round of hostage negotiations paused the Biden-Harris administration has come up with a ‘bridging proposal’ to pressure Israel into declaring a ceasefire in Hamas-infested Gaza.
The Biden administration, backed by the Arab states of Egypt and Qatar, on Friday tabled a ‘bridging proposal’ aimed at finalizing an end to the Israeli military operation that began following the October 7 massacre.
“Earlier today in Doha, the United States with support from Egypt and Qatar, presented to both parties a bridging proposal that is consistent with the principles laid out by President Biden on May 31, 2024 and Security Council Resolution No. 2735,” the joint statement said. “This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal.”
The short-sighted proposal seems to ignore Israel’s security concerns as Hamas continues to regroup and rearm itself.
The proposal, posted on the White House website, came after two days of talks in Qatar that concluded on Friday. The next round of negotiations will resume in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, next week. “Senior officials from our governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week with the aim to conclude the deal under the terms put forward today,” the statement added.
Reuters reported President Biden’s proposal:
Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha were paused on Friday with negotiators set to meet again next week in search of an agreement to end fighting between Israel and Hamas and free remaining hostages, mediators said.In a joint statement, the United States, Qatar and Egypt said Washington had presented a new proposal that built on points of agreement over the past week, closing gaps between the sides in a way that could allow rapid implementation of a deal.Mediators would continue to work on the proposal in coming days, they said.”The path is now set for that outcome, saving lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalating regional tensions,” they said in the statement.An Israeli official said its delegation in Doha was heading back home later on Friday and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.
The Islamic terror group Hamas wants Israel to end all military operations aimed at eliminating Gaza terrorists and rescuing the hostages. “In a statement late on Thursday, Hamas politburo member Hossam Badran said Israel’s continuing operations were an obstacle to progress on a ceasefire,” the Jerusalem Post reported Friday.
The Gaza-based terrorist group still holds more than a hundred Israeli hostages for over ten months.
IDF expands operation in southern Gaza
As the Biden-Harris administration pushes Israel to declare a ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has expanded its operations in southern Gaza.
The announcement comes as Hamas continues to use humanitarian areas in Khan Yunis to attack Israeli ground troops and fire rockets into Israel. “Due to significant acts of terrorism, the exploitation of the Humanitarian Area for terrorist activities, and the firing of rockets and mortars toward the State of Israel in the north of Khan Yunis, remaining in this area has become dangerous. Therefore, at this time the Humanitarian Area will be adjusted,” the IDF announced in a press release Friday.
“The adjustment is being made following accurate intelligence information according to which the Hamas terrorist organization has established terrorist infrastructure in an area defined as a Humanitarian Area,” the statement added. “The advance warning to civilians is being issued in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and to enable civilians to move away from the combat zone.”
While Hamas systematically uses Gazans as human shields, the Israeli military was undertaking all possible measures to minimize civilian casualties in the enclave. The military was directing Gazans to safe areas using “flyers, SMS messages, recorded voice messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic,” the IDF informed.
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