Mid-East Tensions: Hamas 'Doesn't Need New Gaza Ceasefire Deal'; 6 Israeli Hostages Found Dead

The militant group's official, Osama Hamdan, also cricitised US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's statement on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an updated proposal.

Blinken had said that Netanyahu accepted a proposal to bridge the differences that are holding up a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, urging Hamas to do the same.

The high-stakes negotiation talks gained pace once again in the recent days as mediators hoped to calm the tension in the Middle East region, given the fear of Iran attacking Israel in response to the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

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Don't Need New Ceasefire Negotiations

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said that they have already confirmed to the mediators that "we don't need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations," adding that they need to agree on an implementation mechanism.

He said that the new deal raises many ambiguities because it is a lot different from what was presented to the group earlier.

Hamas had earlier said that the new proposal -- meant to bridge the gaps between Israel and the group -- was too close to Netanyahu's recent positions.

"We hold Netanyahu fully responsible for thwarting the mediators' efforts, delaying the agreement, and for the lives of his prisoners who are exposed to the same danger as our people due to his ongoing aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip," said Hamas.

The militant group called on mediators to assume their responsibilities and compel the occupation to implement what was agreed upon, adding that it was completely committed to the previous July proposal.

Hamas had also said that it is losing faith in the US as a mediator, accusing it of siding with Israel as it makes new demands that the militant group rejects, including the control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza.

Bodies Of 6 Hostages Found In Gaza Op

The Israeli military on Tuesday said that it recovered the bodies of six hostages who were taken during Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

In a statement, the military said that its forces recovered the bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza, identifying them as Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry and did not mention when or how they died.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appreciated the recovery effort and said, "our hearts ache for the terrible loss".

“The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages — both alive and dead,” he said in a statement.

The Palestinian militant group is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages, with Israeli authorities estimating that around a third of the hostages taken during the October 7 attack are dead.

Launching an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas had killed around 1,200 people -- mostly civilians -- and took around 250 people hostage. Of these, over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong ceasefire last year, in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.

What Blinken Said On Israel Accepting US Proposal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said on Monday, "In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal. The next important step is for Hamas to say yes."

He had said that if Hamas accepted the proposal, negotiators will work on "clear understandings on implementing the agreement". Without providing any specific details, he said that there are still "complex issues" requiring "hard decisions by the leaders".

Blinken's visit to the Middle East region came days after the mediators expressed optimism that a deal was near. "This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said.

Notably the mediators will meet once again this week to finalise a ceasefire deal.