Israel-Gaza updates: Gantz rejects Netanyahu's request, resigns

He said Netanyahu is "preventing us from progressing towards a true victory."

Last Updated: June 4, 2024, 2:08 PM EDT

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.

Jun 04, 2024, 2:08 PM EDT

Hamas says it won’t accept deal without permanent cease-fire, complete withdrawal from Gaza

Hamas will not accept a Gaza truce deal without clear commitment from Israel to a permanent cease-fire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Tuesday.

"We have communicated our position to the mediators that we cannot agree to a deal unless there is a clear position from the Israeli occupation it is committed to a permanent cease-fire and a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” Hamdan said during a press conference in Beirut.

Hamdan said he does not believe Israel will commit to a cease-fire and called on Israel to submit a clear position of its readiness for a permanent cease-fire and complete withdrawal from Gaza.

"We cannot agree to a deal that does not secure, guarantee and confirm a permanent cease-fire, comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the completion of a serious and real exchange deal," Hamdan said.

"We asked the mediators to obtain a clear position from the Israeli occupation regarding its commitment to a permanent cease-fire and a comprehensive withdrawal," he added.

-ABC News' Ayat Al-Tawy

Jun 04, 2024, 12:36 PM EDT

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

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