As the Israel-Hamas war continues, negotiations are apparently stalled to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization, and Israeli forces continue to launch incursions in the southern Gazan town of Rafah ahead of a possible large-scale invasion.
Hamas responds unfavorably to current cease-fire proposal
Hamas officials are not responding favorably to President Joe Biden's speech Friday and what they call the current proposal on the table.
A Hamas leader said no Hamas delegation has gone to Cairo, and the group is not accepting the offer given to them by mediators, the leader told Al-Mayadeen, a Lebanese news channel.
"We do not want to start from scratch, and our basic condition now is official Israeli approval of the previous paper, otherwise there will be no rounds and discussions," the leader said to Al-Mayadeen.
A ball of fire and black smoke rises moments after an Israeli air strike targeted a residential building in the city of Bureij in the central Gaza Strip, June 3, 2024.
Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images
Separately, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group frowns upon Washington and the West's calls for it to accept Biden's proposal on Gaza "as if it is Hamas who is hampering the deal," he said Tuesday.
Israel is not serious about reaching a deal in Gaza and is still maneuvering under the U.S.'s cover, Abu Zuhri said to Hamas media.
-ABC News' Nasser Atta
Jun 04, 2024, 12:02 PM EDT
Qatar says Israel and Hamas should have clear positions for Gaza cease-fire
Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was "too early" to reach a cease-fire deal and that there should be a clear position from both sides on the U.S. truce proposal.
"We are waiting for a clear Israeli position that represent the entire Israeli government," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday. "Any talk of reaching a deal needs a clear position from both sides towards ideas put on the table."
The deal should offer a road map for a permanent cease-fire and an end to the war, he said.
"It is too early thus far. We do not have clear positions from both sides," he said, adding that mediators remain hopeful as they push ahead with efforts to reach a deal but are "not always optimistic."
-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy
Jun 03, 2024, 6:15 PM EDT
Netanyahu to address joint session of Congress
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver an address before the two houses of the U.S. Congress, his office confirmed Monday.
A date has not been set yet, his office said.
Plans for Netanyahu's address come after Congressional big four leaders invited Netanyahu in a joint letter sent Friday.
-ABC News' Jonathan Karl, Benjamin Siegel, Allison Pecorin and Bruno Nota
Jun 03, 2024, 4:10 PM EDT
4 hostages confirmed dead
Israeli forces confirmed the deaths of four more hostages: Haim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper and Nadav Popplewell.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the four hostages were "killed together" a "few months ago" while "IDF forces were operating" in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Hagari said Israeli forces are "examining the circumstances" of their deaths.
Relatives and supporters of Israelis taken hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza in the October 7 attacks demonstrate to call for their release in the central city of Tel Aviv, May 25, 2024.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
Cooper, 85, was an economist and a poet, and a father of four and grandfather of 11, according to Kibbutz Nir Oz. His wife, Nurit Cooper, was also kidnapped and later released, the kibbutz said.
Amiram Cooper, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo.
Bring Them Home Now/Handout via Reuters
Metzger, 80, was a father of three and grandfather of seven. His wife, Tamar Metzger, was also abducted to Gaza and later released, the kibbutz said.
Yoram Metzger, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo.
Bring Them Home Now/Handout via Reuters
Popplewell, 51, was kidnapped with his mother, who has been released, the Hostages Families Forum said.
A poster portrait of hostage Nadav Popplewell is seen as relatives and supporters of Israeli captives held in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants, gather before the start of a four-day march to Jerusalem calling for their release, on Feb. 28, 2024.
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Peri, 80, was abducted while protecting his wife, the Hostages Families Forum said. He leaves behind his wife, five children and 13 grandchildren.
Peri's family said he "heroically survived in the Hamas tunnels, under inhumane conditions, for around 4 months," and he "survived with the hope and faith that the state of Israel will fulfill its moral duty to bring him home."
"The government of Israel and its Prime Minister have no right to leave the hostages in captivity, dismantling Israel’s foundational principle of mutual responsibility," Peri's family said. "We call upon the government of Israel to strive for an immediate deal, save those still alive, and bring those who are not, to a proper burial."
Chaim Peri, an Israeli hostage who was kidnapped in the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, is pictured in this undated handout photo.
Bring Them Home Now/Handout via Reuters
"The heartbreak that comes with this painful news should shake every citizen in the State of Israel and lead every leader to profound soul-searching," the Hostages Families Forum said in a statement Monday. "The Israeli government must send out a negotiating delegation this evening and return all 124 hostages, both living and murdered. ... We reiterate our demand to the Israeli government: approve the Netanyahu deal immediately!"
