Some Gazans Call on Hamas to Accept Cease-Fire Proposal, But Remain Skeptical

Some Palestinians in Gaza expressed hope that peace talks might advance after President Biden endorsed an Israeli road map toward a permanent cease-fire and called on Hamas to accept the plan. But many remained skeptical that U.S. influence would help bring an immediate end to the war and their suffering.

After eight months of devastating bombardment, many in Gaza believe Hamas should make any compromise necessary to end the war and allow rebuilding to begin.

“I am hopeful that Hamas will accept this deal,” said Ayman Skeik, a 31-year-old merchant from Gaza City who was displaced to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. “But I am still scared it would not be achieved.”

Declaring Hamas no longer capable of carrying out a major terrorist attack on Israel, President Biden said on Friday that it was time for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and endorsed a new plan he said Israel had offered to win the release of hostages and work toward a permanent end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Hamas has said it was responding “positively,” but has kept Palestinians in suspense for days about whether it would formally agree. On Tuesday, Sami Abu Zuhri, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, accused the Netanyahu government of not being serious about reaching a deal. He said Mr. Biden was pressuring his group to accept the plan “despite the White House knowing that the problem lies with” Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel — who remains under pressure from far-right members of his coalition opposed to the deal — has neither publicly accepted nor rejected the proposal, but he has insisted that Israel will not end the war without the “destruction” of Hamas’s governing and military capabilities.