US, Egypt, Qatar Call On Hamas And Israel To Finalize Agreement

(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar jointly called on both Hamas and Israel to finalise the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden on 31 May.

In a joint statement the three countries said that these principles brought the demands of all parties together in a deal that serves multiple interests and will bring immediate relief both to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families.

“This deal offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and ending the crisis,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine said that it views with suspicion what the American President proposed, which suggests that the US administration has changed its position, while it remains clear and declared that it is completely biased towards the“Zionist entity”.

The movement accused the US of“covering up Israel's crimes by supporting Israel with weapons and means of killing and destruction, as well as confronting and threatening all international institutions that attempt to condemn the Zionist enemy.”

On Friday, US President Joe Biden, in a speech he delivered from the White House, revealed the details of the Israeli proposal for a three-stage ceasefire in Gaza.

Reuters quoted an official as saying that the Israeli proposal is four and a half pages long and was sent to Hamas for review on Thursday, noting that it is“almost identical” to a proposal that Hamas had already accepted.

At the same time, Egyptian media reported from a senior source that an Egyptian-American-Israeli meeting will take place in Cairo on Sunday, to discuss restarting the Rafah crossing. The meeting comes in light of Egypt's adherence to the complete Israeli withdrawal from the crossing.

For his part, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said:“We have witnessed a lot of suffering and destruction in Gaza and it is time to stop,” announcing in a post on the X platform that he welcomes Biden's initiative and encourages all parties to seize this opportunity to“ceasefire in Gaza.”

Moreover, European Union's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell also announced, on Friday evening, his support for the road map announced by the US President for a“permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of detainees, and the reconstruction of the Strip.

He stressed:“We support Biden's roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and hostage release that leads to a permanent cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of the Israeli army, and the start of reconstruction efforts in the Strip. The war must end now.”

In a related context, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the Israeli occupation committed 5 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, of which 95 deaths and 350 injuries reached hospitals during the past 24 hours, indicating that the toll of the Israeli aggression had risen to 36,379 deaths and 82,407 injuries since October 7.

On the ground, the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) – announced that it had detonated a thunderbolt against an Israeli engineering force of 6 soldiers, near the George Junction, east of Rafah, and said that it had left them dead and wounded.

Al-Qassam added that it bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their vehicles with mortar shells in the Tal Zorob area in the Tal Al-Sultan neighbourhood, west of Rafah.

In the meantime, the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, announced that they destroyed enemy soldiers and vehicles penetrating south of the Yabna camp on the Palestinian-Egyptian border in Rafah, with a barrage of regular“60 calibre” mortar shells.

MENAFN01062024000153011029ID1108284958