Hamas has reportedly said that it was still conducting internal consultations and has not yet issued an official response to the latest ceasefire proposal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip will not cease unless the Palestinian Resistance Movement, Hamas, declares its “complete surrender,” according to an Al-Jazeera Arabic report, citing Israeli media.

“The moment Hamas lays down its weapons and surrenders, and perhaps we allow it to leave Gaza, only then will the war end,” Netanyahu reportedly said.

A growing alliance of 25 countries demands an immediate ceasefire and condemns Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians and expansion of illegal settlements.https://t.co/ltvfaV3gZZ pic.twitter.com/9YP0Wdz9bQ

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) July 21, 2025

Separately, Netanyahu said in statements reported by Israeli media that “there is no chance for peace with the Iranian regime,” but noted that “the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime,” repeating rhetoric that reflects the growing estrangement between Tel Aviv and Tehran, the report stated.

The Prime Minister also reportedly stated that “Americans who do not support Israel do not support the United States.”

‘We Don’t Have Time’

Meanwhile, CNN cited two sources familiar with the Hamas-Israel ceasefire negotiations as saying that all parties are awaiting the movement’s leaders in Gaza to respond to the latest proposal submitted nearly a week ago.

According to the report, the sources indicated that “the US has now communicated to Hamas that it is running out of patience and that the group must soon provide an answer to the latest framework for a ceasefire and hostage release deal.”

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The report stated that the US had “successfully” pressured Israel “to drop its objections to withdrawing its troops from a southern corridor in Gaza.”

However, one source confirmed that the US could withdraw these guarantees “if Hamas doesn’t quickly agree to a deal.”

Both sources stressed that Hamas is facing heavy pressure from the US, Qatar and Egypt, to accept the deal, with one source saying “We don’t have time.”

‘Internal Consultations’

The report stated that while pressure is focused on Hamas, “people involved in the talks said it was Israeli intransigence — in particular over withdrawal maps — that had previously held up progress toward a deal.”

CNN cited the sources as saying that Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ Qatar-based leader, “indicated privately” that he supports the proposal’s latest framework but was awaiting approval from the movement’s leadership in Gaza, “which will be responsible for implementing” the deal.

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Al Jazeera Arabic however reported that Hamas spokesman Bassem Naim denied that al-Hayya had expressed support for the initiative, saying, “The movement is still conducting internal consultations and has not yet issued an official response to the proposed proposal.”

Rising Death Toll

The channel reported that a number of officials familiar with the negotiations explained that the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, in Washington, contributed to accelerating the resolution of outstanding issues, most notably the withdrawal maps and guarantees for a permanent ceasefire during the truce period, the report stated.

Gaza’s children carry the weight of loss that no child should ever bear. Sama lost her mother, father, and uncles. pic.twitter.com/Qdvqqsk5aR

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 22, 2025

These developments come at a time of increasing popular and international pressure for Israel to end the ongoing military assault on Gaza which has left more than 193,000 dead and wounded, most of them children and women, amid a devastating famine and tragic humanitarian conditions.

(AJA, PC)