The Japan Times - Hamas says responded to latest Gaza ceasefire proposal

Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in the Qatari capital Doha for more than two weeks but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce.

International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that it has "just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators".

A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the response.

"It is currently being evaluated," it added.

Hamas's response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war, according to a Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing talks.

Through 21 months of fighting, both sides have clung to long-held positions, preventing two short-lived truces from being converted into a lasting ceasefire.

The indirect talks in Doha began on July 6 to try to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would also see the release of Israeli hostages.

Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

But the talks have dragged on without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands.

For Israel, dismantling Hamas's military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza.

With pressure for a breakthrough mounting, Washington said top envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Europe this week for talks on a ceasefire and aid corridor.

- 'Risk of famine' -

The World Health Organization's chief warned on Wednesday of widespread starvation in Gaza, saying food deliveries into the territory were "far below what is needed for the survival of the population".

"A large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving. I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation -- and it's man-made," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

France warned of a growing "risk of famine" caused by "the blockade imposed by Israel".

Israel has rejected accusations that it is responsible for Gaza's deepening hunger crisis, instead accusing Hamas of preventing supplies from being distributed and looting aid for themselves or to sell at inflated prices.

Israel has also maintained that it is allowing aid into the Palestinian territory but that international agencies were failing to pick it up for distribution.

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said on Thursday that around 70 food trucks had been unloaded at aid crossings the previous day.

"Over 150 were collected by the UN and international organisations from the Gazan side, but over 800 still await pick up," it said in a post on X.

Aid agencies have said permissions from Israel are still limited, and coordination to safely move trucks to where they are needed is a major challenge in an active war zone.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that, in coordination with the UN children's agency UNICEF, trucks carrying medicines and medical supplies were scheduled to enter hospitals on Thursday.

Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,219 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

T.Kobayashi--JT