(Daily360.com) The United States is considering a separate agreement with Hamas to release hostages as deals with Israel have not been fruitful. On June 11, Hamas said it agrees to the U.N. proposal that would release hostages, including five Americans. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the situation “hopeful,” as he embarks upon a visit to the middle east conflict region.
A senior official for Hamas said the U.S. needs to be responsible to ensure Israel abides by the terms of any negotiated deal. Hamas accepts the terms that would require Israel to withdraw troops from Gaza while the two sides exchange hostages. The Hamas official said the U.S. is facing an immense challenge to ensure the cease- fire proposal by the U.N. can be carried out effectively.
Israel has not agreed to remove troops from Gaza as part of the ceasefire proposal in exchange for the release of hostages. Each side is blaming the other for not finding a resolution while President Biden and the U.S. are getting impatient trying to negotiate the release of American hostages.
Qatar may mediate a proposal between Hamas and the U.S. for hostage release, but the details of the deal are unknown. Hamas may be encouraged by brokering a deal directly with the United States, because it could cause harm to the U.S. relationship with Israel. However, the U.S. negotiating a deal with Hamas signals that the Biden administration is not confident that a peace deal can be negotiated between Hamas and Israel.
Secretary Blinken said Hamas has suggested multiple changes to the ceasefire proposal, including some that are not doable. A Hamas spokesperson denied that they suggested changes to any potential proposal.
Hamas stated that they have been accommodating to negotiations despite what Secretary Blinken has said. Hamas is also skeptical that Israel is in agreement with the plan as no Israeli official has officially endorsed the ceasefire agreement.
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