Hamas and Israel have both issued cautiously positive yet noncommittal responses to a cease-fire plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Despite increasing international pressure to end the conflict, neither side has formally accepted the proposal, which was presented last month in a speech by President Biden and approved by the Security Council in a 14-0 vote on Monday. Here are the details of the cease-fire arrangement.
An Israeli government official stated that the proposed deal "enables Israel to achieve" its war objectives but did not clarify if Israel would formally accept the plan.
Hamas indicated that it had conveyed its response to the U.N. resolution through Egypt and Qatar. According to an official familiar with the negotiations, Hamas's response included proposed amendments to the cease-fire plan, such as specific timelines for a permanent truce and a complete Israeli withdrawal. An Israeli official interpreted Hamas's response as a rejection of Biden's proposal, while a National Security Council spokesperson said the U.S. is assessing the counterproposal.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had privately expressed support for the resolution and suggested that the responsibility now lies with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to accept the proposal.
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