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Hamas has accused the United States of delaying negotiations to enable Israel to continue its military actions in Gaza.

Let’s bring you up to speed: The United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, has been working for months to broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, but these efforts have repeatedly failed to secure a lasting agreement. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made multiple regional visits since the conflict began in October. Despite various proposals, both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of negotiating in bad faith. Hamas alleges that Israel, with US support, continually shifts the terms to serve its interests, while Israel claims that Hamas backs out of deals at the last moment.

What Hamas is saying now: Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said, “The Israelis have retreated from issues included in Biden’s proposal. Netanyahu’s talk about agreeing to an updated proposal indicates that the US administration has failed to convince him to accept the previous agreement.” The spokesman added that the United States is showing “blind bias” by claiming that Hamas is behind a failure in recent negotiations. He said that the US is enabling Israel to “commit more crimes against defenseless civilians, in pursuit of the goals of exterminating and displacing our people.”

What’s the issue with negotiations now?: The current dispute over the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas centers around multiple issues.

Israel’s stance: On one side, Israel, backed by recent amendments to the US proposal, insists on maintaining control over key strategic areas in Gaza, including the Netzarim Corridor, the Rafah border crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor, which are vital for its security concerns. Israel also resists a complete troop withdrawal from Gaza, fearing that it would compromise its ability to prevent future attacks.

Hamas’s stance: On the other side, Hamas rejects these terms, arguing that they violate the original framework of the ceasefire and continue war. Hamas is demanding a complete end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces as preconditions for any lasting peace. 

Egypt speaks up: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has demanded Israel accept a ceasefire agreement, saying “the time has come to end the ongoing war.” He added, “The ceasefire in Gaza must be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution, as this is the basic guarantor of stability in the region.”