Axios reported that Israel is frustrated with the United States due to the deal announced by Hamas on Monday evening, seeing it as a manipulation against them, a claim denied by the Americans. According to the U.S. site, Israeli officials allege that the Biden administration was aware of the recent hostage agreement and ceasefire proposal negotiated by Egypt and Qatar with Hamas but did not inform Israel before Hamas announced its acceptance on Monday.
The site noted that this incident has created deep disappointment and doubt among senior Israeli officials regarding the U.S. role in the hostage deal talks and could negatively affect the negotiations' progress. Three Israeli officials stated that Hamas's announcement on Monday surprised the Israeli government, which did not receive the text of Hamas's response from mediators until an hour after Hamas issued its statement. Upon reading Hamas’s response, the Israelis were shocked to see it containing "many new elements" not part of the previous proposal that Israel had accepted and that was presented to Hamas by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar ten days prior.
Two senior Israeli officials claimed that while the Hamas delegation was in Cairo over the weekend, the Egyptians presented them with a new proposal without coordinating with Israel. A senior American official responded by saying, "American diplomats have communicated with their Israeli counterparts. There were no surprises," emphasizing that "this is a very complicated process as negotiations occur through intermediaries in Doha and Cairo."
He added that the U.S. believes Israel participated in the talks in good faith and that Israel's proposal in late April was "the most advanced so far. To secure a ceasefire, Hamas simply needs to release the hostages. Everything has been outlined," pointing out that "the Biden administration sees Hamas’s response as a counter-proposal, not a new proposal."
A source familiar with the negotiations indicated that the U.S. had invited the Israelis to Cairo over the weekend, but they opted not to send a team. One Israeli official acknowledged that mistakes led to Israel's diminished presence in the talks.
