A spokesman for the Palestinian movement told Sky News that Joe Biden's claim that an imminent ceasefire could be reached between Israel and Hamas is “wishful thinking”.
The American president said He expressed his hope that a ceasefire would be reached By the end of this weekend.
Negotiators are working on a weeks-long ceasefire between the two sides, which will see the release of hostages held by the movement in Gaza in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
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Biden is “optimistic” about a ceasefire in Gaza
But Bassem Naim refuted the president's comment, telling Sky News that Hamas would not agree to a deal without an absolute ceasefire.
“It's wishful thinking,” he said. “Maybe due to internal political affairs in the United States to relieve some tension around the Democratic parties in an election year.
“But in practice this statement has no relation to reality. So far we have not received any official proposal. I believe that there are still gaps between what we are calling for, what we are demanding, and what the Security Council is proposing.” other parties.”
Talking to The world with Yalda HakimMr. Naeem said the group hopes to reach an agreement by Ramadan, which is expected to begin on the evening of Sunday, March 10.
He also refused to answer questions about the whereabouts of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, saying that the movement has the right to protect him.
He said it was not true that Palestinians were angry at the Hamas leadership for hiding in tunnels, as civilians in Gaza told Sky News, and instead insisted that most senior leaders were above ground.
Proximity talks looking for a fighting pause
So-called indirect talks are taking place in Qatar, where mediators meet delegations from both sides separately.
They are discussing a proposed six-week cessation of fighting, which would also include allowing hundreds of trucks to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza each day.
The presence of Israeli and Hamas representatives indicates that negotiations have come further than at any time since the beginning of February, when Israel rejected a counteroffer from Hamas for a four-and-a-half-month truce.
In public, the two sides continued to take divergent positions on the ultimate goals of the truce, while blaming each other for obstructing the talks.
Israel says it will only agree to a temporary halt to the fighting to ensure the hostages are released, while Hamas says it will not release them without an agreement that leads to a permanent end to the war.
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