Hamas doubts US ability to pressure Israel for ceasefire

Top Hamas official Osama Hamdan has expressed growing skepticism about the US ability to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza.

“As new negotiations are set to take place this week, amidst increasing calls to end the 10-month conflict with Israel, Hamas has stated it will only engage if the discussions are centred around the proposal put forward by US President Joe Biden in May and supported internationally,” Caliber.Az reports citing Hamdan’s interview with the foreign media.

The US referred to the proposal as an Israeli initiative, which Hamas tentatively agreed to. However, Israel argued that President Biden's speech did not fully align with the proposal. Both parties subsequently suggested modifications, leading to mutual accusations of obstructing the agreement.

In a one-hour interview, Hamdan criticized Israel for not negotiating in good faith and expressed doubts about the US ability or willingness to pressure Israel into finalizing the deal. Documents reveal that Hamas sought to include additional guarantors, such as Russia, Türkiye, and the United Nations, but Israel consistently insisted on sticking with the existing mediators: the US, Egypt, and Qatar.

One day after Hamas accepted the ceasefire proposal, Israel launched a new operation in Rafah, southern Gaza. Israel stated that the proposal still did not meet its demands. Hamdan noted that CIA Director William Burns had assured Hamas, through intermediaries, that Israel would agree to the deal.

Hamdan also acknowledged some communication challenges with Hamas top official in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, who is reportedly hiding in Gaza's tunnels, but he maintained that these issues are not a significant obstacle to the negotiations.