The negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Israel failed to make any progress. The Biden administration provided Israel with thousands of 2,000-pound bombs since 7 October, according to US officials.
The plan presented last month by US President Joe Biden, comprising a six-week truce accompanied by the withdrawal of Israeli troops from densely populated areas and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, has not ended in success, according to a senior Hamas official.
Osama Hamdan, a Hamas spokesman based in Lebanon, confirmed on Saturday the Islamist movement had received the latest offer on 24 June, but it did not include anything new. Axios reported earlier three sources “with direct knowledge” saying Washington had presented “new language” for some parts of the proposed deal.
We can say that there is no real progress in the negotiations to stop the (Israeli) aggression so far, Hamdan said at a press conference.
Moreover, Hamdan said the proposals were “merely a waste of time and provide additional time for the occupation (Israel) to practise genocide.” According to him, Hamas was being pressured to accept Israel’s deal “as it is without modification.” Apart, an unnamed Hamas spokesman responded to the Arab World Press report, saying the changes were “vague wording.” He said the changes “offer nothing new to bridge the chasm between what is proposed and what is acceptable to us.”
The Biden plan has not yet resulted in an agreement for many reasons, but the most serious lies in the two sides sticking to their demands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would continue the war until Hamas suffers a complete defeat and all hostages go free. Hamas, for its part, insists on a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.
US sent Israel at least 14K 2000-pound bombs
US officials familiar with the updated information reported that since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Biden Administration has transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions to Israel.
Regardless of the turmoil in Washington-Tel Aviv relations and international pressure to limit arms shipments, the bottom line indicates there has been no significant reduction in US military support to its ally. The Biden Administration suspended one shipment of a 2,000-pound bomb, citing concerns about the impact it could have on densely populated areas of Gaza, but US officials insist that all other arms deliveries will continue as normal.
Currently, the White House is in discussions with Israel to release a batch of large bombs, which had been on hold in May due to concerns over the Rafah military operation, which drew international and domestic condemnation of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government. Much of the domestic discontent centres on Netanyahu’s hostage policy, as the Prime Minister refuses to go along with agreements, citing the total destruction of Hamas. At the same time, the war has brought the death toll to nearly 38,000, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The US provides its long-time ally with $3.8 billion in annual military aid. Despite Biden’s warnings to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid, there have been no Israeli repercussions, except for the May delay. Biden, for his part, also drew heavy criticism in the size of pro-Palestinian protests at US universities.
