Qatar says Israel yet to respond to Gaza ceasefire proposal

Hamas agreed to the proposal, which was put forward by mediators Egypt and Qatar more than 10 days ago.

Israel seems “unwilling to reach an agreement” as it has not yet responded to the ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas earlier this month, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson of mediator Qatar said.

While Qatar pledged to continue its efforts to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has now killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to accept the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal.

“We are in contact with all parties in pursuit of a ceasefire agreement, but there is no official Israeli response – neither acceptance, rejection, nor the presentation of an alternative proposal,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday.

“We do not take seriously the media statements in Israel and are awaiting an official response to the proposal,” he said, adding that Qatar was “communicating with all parties in pursuit of a ceasefire agreement”.

The statement comes a week after Hamas said it had informed mediators Egypt and Qatar that it had agreed to the proposal and was ready to resume negotiations to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which now threatens further mass displacement amid Israeli-made starvation.

A source familiar with the ceasefire talks told media the proposal included a cessation of Israeli army operations for 60 days, during which it would withdraw to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. Half of the remaining 50 captives would also be exchanged for Palestinian detainees within that timeframe.

This proposal was “agreed upon by Israel and 98 percent of it has been agreed upon by Hamas”, said media’s Osama bin Javaid, reporting from Doha.

The proposal has been on the table for more than 10 days, and neither of the mediators has yet heard back from Israel, he added.

Qatar says the only response seen from Israel has been “more deaths, more destruction, more plans to take over more territory in Gaza, but no real move towards trying to find a solution … and stopping the killing”, added bin Javaid.