Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Tuesday that Hamas had given a "generally positive" response to a proposed truce deal with Israel, as the Palestinian group reiterated its demand to end the Israeli assault on Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Al Thani as he started another crisis tour of the Middle East.
Al Thani described Hamas's response to the proposal as "generally positive" without providing further details during a press conference with Blinken on Tuesday.
Blinken claimed that Israeli officials had been informed of Hamas's response to the plan that was mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US. He said he would discuss the response with Israeli officials on Wednesday.
In an interview on Tuesday in Doha, Blinken described the deal as "essential." "There's still a lot of work to be done. But we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it," he said.
Hamas said in a statement that its leaders had gone over the "comprehensive ceasefire deal with a positive spirit," which included information on rebuilding, securing relief and shelter, ending a crippling 17-year blockade, and concluding the "prisoner exchange" process.
Qatar has been working with the US and Egypt to mediate a ceasefire that would involve an extended halt in fighting and the release of Hamas hostages.
Al Thani claimed that the mediators encountered many difficulties throughout the negotiations and that developments in Gaza impacted the course of the talks. He said they are hoping to see it yielding very soon.
After meeting with Egyptian and Qatari officials, the US and Israeli spy chiefs drew up the proposed deal.
Hamas stated in the past that any deal must result in an end to the war. Furthermore, Israel has declared that the fight will not end until Hamas is eliminated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reported that all parties involved in the mediation process are studying Hamas's response to the agreement.
"Hamas's reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad. Its details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations," a statement from Israel's foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, said on Tuesday, per the prime minister's office.
Biden Administration Criticized Over Support for Israel
Many have criticized the US and Blinken for not adopting a tougher tone with Israeli authorities, even as they have openly contradicted US positions on the future of Palestine, military action, and humanitarian help in Gaza.
According to Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, Blinken and Biden have been "a leading party in the conflict."
Bishara said that they are the ones who have backed Israel's aggression financially, militarily, and diplomatically. He added that the Biden administration must "change its tone" and impose its will on the Netanyahu government.
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