Israel officials say they were tricked by the Biden administration, accusing it of not letting Israel know of the details of a “cease-fire” proposal the terrorist group Hamas announced Monday that it had agreed to.
The Hamas announcement came as Israel launched a military action against Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in southern Gaza, after a Hamas mortar strike from the city.
The Biden administration denies the Israeli claim.
According to Axios, citing Israeli officials it did not name, Israel was not given the text of a deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar until after the Hamas announcement.
NBC reported Monday that the proposal includes the release of 33 hostages taken by Hamas in the terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and a 40-day halt in the fighting.
An Israeli delegation was not involved in the negotiations for the proposal in Cairo, USA Today reported.
As The New York Times reported Monday: “In fact, Hamas did not ‘accept’ a cease-fire deal so much as make a counteroffer to the proposal on the table previously blessed by the United States and Israel — a counteroffer that was not itself deemed acceptable but a sign of progress.”
Two Israeli officials said “Israel got played” by the U.S. and mediators who drafted “a new deal” and were not up front about it, according to Axios.
The Israeli side said the proposal had “many new elements” that were not part of the last deal Israel had approved, with one official saying, “It looked like a whole new proposal,” according to Axios.
Should the Biden administration be more supportive of Israel?
Axios cited a senior U.S. official saying there was no double-dealing, adding, “American diplomats have been engaged with Israeli counterparts. There have been no surprises.”
“This is an extremely difficult process with negotiations conducted through intermediaries in Doha and Cairo,” the official said.
The core of the issue is that Israel fears the Biden administration has assured Hamas that a deal to release hostages will directly lead to the end of the war.
“We think the Americans conveyed the message to Hamas that it will be OK when it comes to ending the war,” one senior Israeli official said, according to Axios.
Israel’s position has been that the deal and the end of the war are separate.
According to Axios, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Haia told the news site Al Jazeera that, “Hamas received assurances from the Egyptian and Qatari mediators that President Biden is committed to ensure that any hostage deal is fully implemented.”
A report in the Times of Israel said that when the Hamas-backed deal was reviewed, it was lacking Israel’s key points, which led to a decision to move forward with the operation to attack Rafah.
The IDF releases footage of it capturing the Gazan side of the Rafah Crossing. https://t.co/Sl3eTqscJS pic.twitter.com/Pz5IWIStCF
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 7, 2024
Israeli officials called the Hamas announcement “a ruse” to make Hamas appear willing to settle while Israel would be painted as refusing the deal.
Amid the diplomatic dueling. Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to warn him not to attack Rafah, according to Fox News.
On Monday, a Hamas mortar attack from Rafah killed four Israeli soldiers, Fox reported.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that after Rafah was used as the base for that attack, Israel had no choice but to move forward, according to Fox.
