United States obstructing Gaza ceasefire

The Hamas resistance movement has strongly condemned recent statements by the US administration about the ceasefire negotiations, accusing it of shielding the Israeli occupation regime. 

President Trump stated on Friday, “Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die and it’s very, very bad. And, it got to a point where you have to finish the job. (Hamas) pulled out (of the negotiations).”

Hamas reiterated its commitment to negotiations and its serious desire to reach a comprehensive agreement on ending the Israeli war on Gaza.

The resistance movement expressed surprise at the remarks by US President Donald Trump, as well as earlier comments by US envoy Steve Witkoff. 

The movement stated that these remarks contradict the assessments of mediators and do not reflect the reality of the negotiation process, which it said had made real progress. 

It emphasized that mediating parties, especially Qatar and Egypt, have expressed their appreciation for Hamas’s serious and constructive stance.

In a press statement, Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq criticized the United States for disregarding “the real obstacle to any agreements.”

He also accused the Netanyahu government of creating roadblocks, engaging in delays, and breaching prior commitments.

Al-Rishq stressed that Hamas has, from the start of the negotiations, acted with national responsibility and great flexibility. 

He said the movement has been keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that would end the genocidal war and alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population.

Al-Rishq also said Hamas’s latest response came after extensive national consultations with Palestinian factions, mediators, and friendly countries. 

The official added that Hamas had engaged constructively and flexibly with all comments and suggestions raised, including those within Witkoff’s own proposal.

In its response, Hamas emphasized the need for clear and enforceable terms, particularly regarding humanitarian issues. 

It called for an unimpeded flow of aid, distributed through the United Nations and its approved agencies, without interference from the Israeli occupation regime.

According to al-Rishq, Hamas also insisted on reducing the size of buffer zones where Israeli occupation forces would remain for 60 days and not allowing most displaced people to return to their homes.

Hamas also dismissed accusations by the US administration that the aid intended for Gaza is stolen. These claims were baseless and recently disproven by a Reuters report citing a USAID investigation, which found no evidence linking Hamas to the misappropriation of US assistance, it asserted.

Furthermore, Hamas called on the US administration to stop providing political and military cover for the Israeli regime, which continues to carry out a campaign of extermination and starvation against more than two million Palestinians in Gaza under the watch of the international community.

Hamas urged Washington to pressure the Israeli regime to engage seriously in a political process that ends the genocide, leads to a fair prisoner exchange deal, and alleviates the suffering of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

 

Saudi Arabia welcomes Gaza ceasefire

According to the Saudi Gazette, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the Kingdom's welcome of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, commending the efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the United States in facilitating the deal.

Saudi Arabia emphasized the importance of adhering to the agreement, calling for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza, the full withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip and all Palestinian and Arab territories, and the return of displaced individuals to their homes.

The Kingdom further stressed the need to build on this agreement to address the root causes of the conflict.

It reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people's rights, particularly their right to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Saudi Arabia expressed hope that this agreement would bring a permanent end to the brutal Israeli war, which has resulted in over 45,000 deaths and more than 100,000 injuries.

Earlier, Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced the success of mediators in reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, noting that its implementation is set to begin this Sunday.

During a press conference in Doha, Sheikh Mohammed stated that the first phase of the agreement will last 42 days and include the release of 33 Israeli detainees in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.

He highlighted that Qatar, Egypt, and the United States “will work to ensure the implementation of the agreement,” with mechanisms in place to monitor its execution and address any potential violations.

The Qatari minister expressed his hope that “no military operations would be conducted during the period leading up to the implementation of the agreement.”

 

 

US-led UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire vetoed

The United Nations Security Council on Friday turned down a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States.

The resolution, on which Algeria also voted no and Guyana abstained, called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Eleven of the 15 council members voted for the resolution, but the Russia and China vetoes stopped its passage.

The council will meet at 1400 GMT on Saturday to vote on an alternative resolution drafted by elected members of the Security Council, diplomats said.

That resolution demands an immediate ceasefire for the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the release of all hostages and an expanded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The draft does not include provisions supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire - an element of the US resolution. Washington has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try to broker a deal.

Friday was the first time Washington had backed a text that came up for a vote with the word "ceasefire" in it during the war in Gaza, reflecting a toughening of the Biden administration's stance toward Israel.

Earlier in the five-month-old war, the US was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.

"The vast majority of this council voted in favor of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise its veto," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council.

She accused Russia and China of vetoing the resolution for cynical and petty reasons. She said they opposed it simply because it was penned by the US and criticized both countries for not condemning Hamas's October 07 attack on Israel.

"For all the fiery rhetoric, we all know that Russia and China are not doing anything diplomatically to advance a lasting peace or to meaningfully contribute to the humanitarian response effort," she told the council after the vote.

The US has wanted any Security Council support for a ceasefire to be linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people and took 253 captive in their Oct. 7 attack, Israel has said.

Nearly 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave.

Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said the US-led resolution was exceedingly politicized and contained an effective green light for Israel to mount a military operation in Rafah, a city on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where more than half of the enclave's 2.3 million residents have been sheltering in makeshift tents.

"This would free the hands of Israel and it would result in all of Gaza and its entire population having to face destruction, devastation, or expulsion," Nebenzia told the meeting.

China's UN ambassador, Zhang Jun, criticized the text proposed by the US for not clearly stating its opposition to a planned military operation by Israel in Rafah, which he said could lead to severe consequences. He said Beijing also supported the alternative.

But Thomas-Greenfield said that measure fell short.

"In its current form, that text fails to support sensitive diplomacy in the region. Worse ... it could actually give Hamas an excuse to walk away from the deal on the table," she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that his country would work with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to persuade Russia and China to back yet another alternative resolution at the United Nations for a ceasefire in Gaza.