Israel sends team to Qatar for Gaza truce talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands
'The changes that Hamas is seeking to make in the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are unacceptable to Israel,' said a statement from his office late on Saturday.
'In light of an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed that the invitation to proximity talks be accepted and that the contacts for the return of our hostages – on the basis of the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to – be continued,' the statement added.
Mr Netanyahu is also set to depart for Washington on Sunday to meet US President Donald Trump, with Gaza expected to dominate discussions there.
Mr Trump renewed the push to end the war in Gaza that has been raging for about 21 months. He has pledged to be firm on Mr Netanyahu and has expressed hope to use the momentum of the ceasefire between Israel and Iran to secure a truce in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas on Friday said it had given a 'positive' response to the US-backed framework that envisions a 60-day ceasefire that would see the return of several Israeli hostages.
The Palestinian group is also seeking personal guarantees from Mr Trump that the war in Gaza will come to a complete end.
'We submitted our positive response to the mediators yesterday. A new round of negotiations is expected to begin, focusing on the core issues: Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war,' a Hamas official told The National on Saturday.
The Hamas official said the deal on the table would see the group releasing 10 living Israeli hostages and returning the bodies of 18 others.
The response by Hamas appeared not to signal an immediate end to hostilities, though. The group is seeking assurances from mediators that some additional demands will be met, sources told The National on Friday.
The sources confirmed Hamas would convey its acceptance of the proposed deal along with a request for assurances from US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators about the implementation of some of its 'unpublicised' clauses.
The ceasefire efforts come amid continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza and as Palestinians struggle for limited aid supplies.
The US on Saturday blamed Hamas for an attack that injured two American aid workers from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The US and Israeli-backed GHF said that the injured Americans were receiving medical treatment and were in a stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
'The attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food,' the GHF said.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce blamed 'Hamas terrorists' for the attack.
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