Israel criticises terms of Gaza ceasefire with Hamas but talks go on

[Kennah]

Source: BBC

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said a proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire is "far from Israel's basic requirements" but negotiations will continue.
...
"The ball is now in Israel's court," an official in the Palestinian group said.

Overnight, Israeli forces and tanks were seen near the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza, reports in Israeli media said.

Earlier, Israel's military carried out air strikes on Rafah, on the border with Egypt, after warning Palestinians to evacuate eastern parts of the city.


Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68967397

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Does not appear that a ceasefire deal was actually under consideration

[LeftInTX]

1. Israelis frustrated with U.S. handling of hostage talks

Israeli officials claim the Biden administration knew about the latest hostage and ceasefire deal proposal Egypt and Qatar negotiated with Hamas, but didn't brief Israel before Hamas announced it accepted it on Monday. A senior U.S. official pushed back saying "American diplomats have been engaged with Israeli counterparts. There have been no surprises."

Why it matters: The episode has created deep disappointment and suspicion among senior Israeli officials regarding the U.S. role in the hostage deal talks and could negatively influence the negotiations going forward.

The U.S. official said "this is an extremely difficult process with negotiations conducted through intermediaries in Doha and Cairo."
He added that the U.S. believes Israel has engaged in the talks in good faith and that Israel's late April proposal was "the most forward leaning proposal to date. To secure a ceasefire, Hamas simply needs to release hostages. It's all mapped out."
The official also said the Biden administration sees Hamas' response as a counter-proposal and not as a new proposal.

But it's the latest episode to deepen tensions between the Biden administration and Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza, where more than 34,700 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/07/us-israel-hamas-hostage-ceasefire-talks

Link to tweet

[Kennah]

2. I find Hamas' strategy intriguing

Make a counteroffer that is favorable to Hamas, and that they know Israel won't agree to, then declare we have a deal

[jvill]

3. Straight lies from Hamas, as always...

They make up their own terms and then claim they agree to their own terms. This is how genocidal psychos negotiate. Kill ‘em all.