Israel rejects ceasefire proposal; US “faces difficulties” in stopping arms supply to Israel

AFP news agency reported that the Hamas movement announced that Israel had rejected the proposals of mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The article notes that a Hamas delegation has arrived in Doha, while Israel refuses to cease fire in the Gaza Strip and continues its military operation against the city of Rafah.

Israel continues to carry out attacks on Rafah, despite warnings. Photo: Reuters

A Hamas representative participating in the talks stressed that the movement fully supports the mediators' ceasefire proposal and "the ball is now on the occupation side."

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the destruction of almost the entire Hamas battalion: “ We still have another unit to destroy in Rafah. That is why we want to enter Rafah, because we cannot leave them there.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has outlined the objectives of the military operation in Rafah. He stressed that Israeli soldiers are searching for Hamas members and freeing hostages.

Regarding the hiding places of Hamas leaders, The Times of Israel quoted Israeli officials as saying that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip may be in tunnels under the city of Khan Yunis.

Speaking to The Times of Israel, Israeli officials could not say exactly where Yahya Sinwar was hiding, but confirmed that Israeli intelligence was continuing to confirm information about the Hamas leader's location.

“ They cited recent intelligence assessments that showed Hamas leaders were hiding in tunnels in the Khan Younis area, about five miles north of Rafah ,” The Times of Israel reported.

In late April 2024, The New Arab reported that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, after hiding in a tunnel system, appeared to encourage the movement's combat units.

The US is facing domestic and international pressure to continue supplying weapons to Israel. Photo: Getty

Regarding the possibility of the US stopping supplying weapons to Israel, Washington stated that Tel Aviv may have violated humanitarian standards when using US weapons, but there is not enough evidence to temporarily suspend defense cooperation with Israel.

“It is assessed that defense products covered by NSM-20 have been used by the Israeli military in situations inconsistent with international humanitarian law and established practices to minimize harm to civilians ,” the US State Department said.

NSM-20 is a memorandum issued by President Joe Biden in February 2024 after being pressured by Democrats within the Democratic Party, requiring countries receiving military aid from Washington to commit to human rights when using US weapons.

According to the US State Department, Israel has established procedures to ensure compliance with US regulations at all levels of the military, and has the knowledge, tools and experience to minimize unnecessary civilian casualties in combat.

“ The evidence on the ground, including the large number of civilian casualties, raises questions about whether the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used US weapons properly in all cases, ” the US State Department report said.

The US State Department expressed deep concern about the situation in the Gaza Strip, but said that all countries receiving military aid from Washington have provided sufficient assurances of trust to allow continued transfers of NSM-20 defense products. In addition to Israel, the recipients of US weapons listed in the report include Ukraine, Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria and Somalia.

Tel Aviv is facing a growing wave of condemnation from the international community, including the United States, over civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. The administration of US President Joe Biden is also facing domestic opposition for its pro-Israel policy.

Patrick Gaspard, president of the Center for American Progress, called the State Department report disappointing and said it ignored compelling evidence of Israel's violations of international law.

" It is hard to believe that the US government would conclude that Israel did not violate the terms of use of weapons provided by Washington after witnessing what is happening in the Gaza Strip," said Mr. Patrick Gaspard.

According to figures from the Gaza Strip's health agency, the Hamas-Israel conflict has left nearly 35,000 people dead and more than 78,000 injured, mostly women and children.

US President Joe Biden has threatened to stop the transfer of bombs and artillery shells to Israel if it launches a ground military operation in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinian refugees are sheltering. The international community has repeatedly warned of the risk of a humanitarian disaster if the IDF attacks the city.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-israel-hamas-ngay-1152024-israel-bac-de-xuat-ngung-ban-my-gap-kho-khi-dung-cung-cap-vu-khi-cho-israel-319504.html