Gaza Ceasefire Talks: Why Palestinians Question Recent US Proposal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stopped in Egypt on Tuesday, August 20, one day after visiting Tel Aviv as part of a tour in the West Asia region to continue intensive diplomatic efforts to achieve a Gaza ceasefire and prisoners-for captives swap deal. The tour will also include a visit to Qatar in the upcoming days.

Following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, August 19, Blinken declared that Netanyahu accepted the recent ceasefire proposal made by the US, which the US claimed has “bridged the gaps” between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas. After announcing Nehtanyahu’s acceptance, Blinken declared that “it is now up to Hamas to agree.”

During his visit to Egypt on Tuesday, Blinken briefed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the Gaza ceasefire discussion he had with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.  Blinken and el-Sisi also discussed ways to move forward in negotiations.

Emphasizing the importance of concluding ceasefire and a prisoners-for-captives swap deal, el-Sisi warned that the war in Gaza may expand regionally in a way that is “difficult to imagine”. He also highlighted that “the ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region.”

Yet for many, Blinken’s current tour in the region, his ninth with the stated purpose of ending the Israeli aggression in Gaza, has proved to be propaganda to serve Israel’s strategic goals and interests, and to place the blame on Hamas for obstructing negotiations. Although all official statements from US officials claimed that the proposal on table has “bridged main gaps” between Hamas and Israel, the resistance movement described the proposal as consistent only with Netanyahu’s conditions.

Hamas said that Netanyahu’s conditions include his refusal of a permanent ceasefire and a complete troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. His conditions also encompass keeping control of the Netzarim Corridor separating the northern besieged strip from the south, the Rafah border crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt. Moreover, Hamas accused the US of “merely buying time for Israel to continue its genocide” with its dodgy proposal.

The recent ceasefire proposal presented by the Biden administration is also seen by some analysts as a maneuver by the democrats ahead of the US Presidential elections set to be held in November 2024, amid growing protests against Biden’s pro-Israel policies.

On Monday, August 19, thousands took to the streets outside the site of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on its opening day to protest the war in Gaza. Delivering a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday, US President Joe Biden said that pro-Palestinian protesters out in the street “ have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed on both sides”. However, he accused Hamas of “backing away” from the proposed ceasefire and prisoner swap deal during the same speech.

In response to his comment, Hamas described Biden’s accusation on Tuesday as “misleading”. Hamas further explained that Biden’s statements do not reflect the movement’s true position being keen to reach a cessation of hostilities.

“The proposal recently presented to us goes against what the parties had agreed on July 2, this is considered an American response and acquiescence to the terrorist Netanyahu’s new conditions and his criminal plans towards the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said.

While the United States is trying to buy time to handle any situation that may challenge the results of the presidential elections, and lead to a regional war in West Asia, Israel continues to immerse the besieged war-torn enclave of Gaza with mass killing that claims the lives of Palestinian and Israeli captives alike.

Screenshot from an Al Qassam Brigade video in which Israeli hostages in Gaza called on Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire.

On Tuesday, August 20, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched an airstrike on Mustafa Hafez School in Gaza City, which was sheltering hundreds of people. The airstrike left at least 12 Palestinians. The IOF also announced on Tuesday the recovery of six bodies of Israeli captives from Gaza without providing further details on the circumstances of their death.

The Israeli military operations on the ground in Gaza, and even in the West Bank and the northern front with Lebanon, rebut the Israeli and the US elusive diplomatic efforts to end the aggression on Gaza and prevent it from expanding into a regional war. They also showcase that the integrity of the Israeli captives in Gaza is neither a strategic goal nor a priority for the Israeli government led by Netanyahu.