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Hamas said on Wednesday it expects pressure on Israel to reach a truce in Gaza ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf in two weeks.
Mr Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar from May 13 to 16. It will be his first official overseas trip of his second term, following a brief visit to the Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral last weekend.
“Trump's expected visit to the region in the middle of next month is likely to lead to some pressure – maybe a ceasefire and aid deliveries,” said a Hamas official who spoke to The National on the condition of anonymity.
“We have already made several proposals for a ceasefire and exchanges and so far there’s nothing serious on the table because of the Israeli obstruction."
Israeli negotiators are insisting Hamas must surrender its weapons before agreeing to a proposed five-year Gaza truce presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, sources told The National this week.
They said Israeli officials are also demanding the right to take military action whenever a threat to their security is identified in Gaza.
Hamas has agreed to lay down but not surrender its weapons, and to be excluded from the postwar administration and reconstruction of the enclave of 2.3 million people.
The militant group has also agreed in principle to allow some of its senior officials to leave Gaza and live in exile, provided Israel guarantees they will not be pursued.
“Israel has rejected all the proposals that were presented and discussed,” said the Hamas official. “We are proposing a truce that could last five, seven, or roughly 10 years.
"In return, there should be measures like the entry of aid, reconstruction, the release of prisoners and a genuine prisoner exchange. All of these elements are on the table, but as I’ve said, what is obstructing all these efforts is the Israeli position.”
Mediators have been working to convince both sides to agree to a new truce as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza continues to rise, reaching 52,400 on Wednesday, Palestinian officials have said.
Israel has also blocked humanitarian supplies from entering Gaza, leading to severe food shortages.
The sources said Israel also demanded in the latest talks that Hamas provide information about the 59 hostages it is believed to still be holding in Gaza.
Broadly, the Egyptian and Qatari plan envisions a 45-day truce during which Hamas would release all hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
The plan also outlines a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas laying down its arms.
The truce would form part of a five-year ceasefire, during which Hamas would begin transitioning into a political party, Gaza reconstruction efforts would commence and a new security force – trained by Egypt and Jordan – would begin operating in the strip.