White House awaiting Hamas response to ceasefire proposal
The White House said on April 8 that a ceasefire proposal was presented to Hamas and that they and mediators are awaiting a response, The National reported.
Reports coming out of Cairo have noted that “progress has been made” with regards to reaching a ceasefire deal after weeks of major, stop-start negotiations.
Hamas contradicted the remarks with one of their officials claiming that there have been no advancements with regards to acheiving a cessation of hostilities.
The deal would include a pause in the fighting for six weeks, more aid to be allowed into Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages, around 130 of whom are still in the war-torn enclave, taken on October 7.
CIA chief William Burns was in the Egyptian capital over the past few days, attempting to play a key role in the negotiations, which are being brokered by US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Washington was taking the situation “very, very seriously” and that the Palestinian militant group may take a few days to respond.
READ: Hamas outlines key demands to allow for Gaza ceasefire
Emphasising that it is in Hamas’ hands, Kirby noted, “At the end of the weekend, a proposal was submitted to Hamas and now it’s going to be up to Hamas to come through,”
Mr Kirby also claimed that more humanitarian aid was getting into Gaza and that Biden was pressuring Tel Aviv to allow between 300 and 350 aid trucks to enter on a daily basis.
The State Department said on April 7 that 304 aid trucks entered the enclave, the highest amount since October. Kirby acknowledged that this was a step in the right direction, but it was still not enough.
Jonathan Fowler, a spokesperson for the UNRWA (the main agency assisting Palestinians), said in February that 500 trucks of humanitarian aid alone are needed each day to meet the basic needs of the Gazan people.
Prior to President Biden’s recent talks with Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu which were aimed at addressing the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Israel would on average let in between 100 and 200 trucks per day.
The National
