The conflict between Israel and Hamas is going through a key moment with the proposal launched by Israel, United States, Egypt and Qatar last weekend in Paris. It is expected that in the next few hours the parties will respond to an agreement proposal to which the Americans have already positioned themselves.

In an interview with the NBC program ‘Meet the Press’, the White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivanhas stated that now is the time for Hamas to speak up, disconnecting the recent attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom against pro-Iran militias in Syria and Iraq and against the Houthi insurgency from the negotiations for the release of the hostages, which They will resume, accompanied by a six-week ceasefire, if Hamas accepts the proposal.

“The steps we took in Syria and Iraq or yesterday in Yemen are not connected to the negotiations. At this point, it is now Hamas’ turn to talk about this proposal, one that we consider serious,” he said. Next, and before the ABC cameras, Sullivan pointed out that, although he cannot estimate precisely when Hamas will respond to the proposal — sources from the Saudi media Al Hadath indicate that it could take place even today, without giving more details — “these kinds of talks go very slowly until they start to go very fast.”

“Everyone wants the end of the war, no one wants the war to continue. But for this to happen, all the hostages must return home and Hamas must stop posing a threat to Israel“, has added.

For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuassured that his government “will not accept any agreement, nor at any price” about a truce in the Gaza Strip. “Many things are said in the media as if we agreed with them, such as those related to the release of terrorists, we simply will not accept them,” the president reiterated at the beginning of the meeting of the government cabinet, in Tel Aviv.

The spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al Ansariassured on Friday that Hamas has received this latest proposal in “a positive atmosphere“, and has indicated that Doha is “waiting for your response” to advance an agreement with Israel that will culminate in the release of the hostages.

Hamas calls for calm

However, the Lebanese leader of Hamas, Osama Hamdancalled for calm this past Saturday and limited itself to indicating that “the movement has received the general proposal circulated by the Paris Quartet”, without giving details about a possible response beyond recalling Hamas’s general requests for the cessation of hostilities, such as Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Strip, the return of all prisoners and, ultimately, the declaration of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Regarding the attacks in these countries, the security official has hinted that they could continue with new operations without giving more details or confirming or denying possible attacks in Iran. “We believe that previous attacks have yielded good results and that we can continue sending a strong message as we continue,” he warned.

The latest information on the ongoing negotiations, according to Lebanese sources, spoke of the release of the 136 hostages that Hamas holds captive, some already dead, for a period of 142 days in exchange for the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners held hostage.

“There are those who say ‘yes’ to everything when we have to say ‘no’. They are applauded by the international community, but they endanger our national security. And there are those who say ‘no’ to everything, they receive applause at home, but they also put vital interests at risk,” explained Netanyahu, who is facing protests in the country in favor of the imminent release of the 136 hostages.

“I would like to tell you something from my experience: the trick is to know how to navigate, Say ‘yes’ when possible and say ‘no’ when necessary“he added. Netanyahu also said that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees “is not part of the solution, (but) UNRWA is part of the problem,” and called for its prompt replacement.