Israel and Hamas play down US optimism on Gaza ceasefire deal
The Guardian|August 23, 2024
US officials yesterday expressed optimism that a ceasefire deal in the war in Gaza "is in sight", despite growing indications from Israel and Hamas that a breakthrough is not imminent and as renewed fighting rages in parts of the Palestinian territory.
Bethan McKernan
Israel and Hamas play down US optimism on Gaza ceasefire deal

Washington has put pressure on both parties to accept a bridging proposal put forward during internationally mediated talks in Qatar last week, dispatching the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, on his ninth Visit to the region since the conflict broke out 10 months ago. The latest round of talks -in which Hamas is not directly participating -were scheduled to restart in Cairo yesterday but appeared to have been postponed.

Hamas has said the latest proposal on the table veers too closely to Israel's demands but characterised comments made by the US president, Joe Biden, on Tuesday that it was backing away from an agreement as "misleading".

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has reportedly refused to countenance an Israeli withdrawal from the Netzarim corridor that now bisects the Gaza Strip, or the EgyptGaza border - a red line for Hamas and for Cairo.

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