By Palestine Chronicle Staff 
The United States presented an amended version of a draft resolution to call for a six-week ceasefire. Hamas insists any agreement will have to lead to a cessation of the Israeli aggression.
The United States distributed the amended third revision of a draft resolution to support a six-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, in addition to the release of Israeli detainees, Al-Jazeera reported, citing diplomatic sources.
The first version, which was proposed by the US two weeks ago, called for a “temporary ceasefire”. According to the Reuters news agency, the new version reflects statements made by US Vice President Kamala Harris and calls for “an immediate ceasefire”.
The US administration aims to link the ceasefire to the release of the remaining Israeli prisoners currently held in Gaza, whose number is estimated by Israel at about 130.
According to Al-Jazeera, Washington said that it plans to allow time for negotiations on the draft resolution and will not rush to vote on it.
The draft resolution requires the support of at least nine countries for its adoption, in addition to the non-use of the veto power by any of the five permanent members of the Security Council, United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China.
The US has vetoed three draft resolutions during the five-month-long Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and has long opposed the achievement of a ceasefire agreement, stating that it served Hamas’ interests.
For its part, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that any agreement will have to lead to “a comprehensive cessation of aggression against our people”.
The movement said that it “will continue to negotiate” to reach an agreement “that fulfills the demands and interests of the Palestinian people”, accusing Tel Aviv of evading its responsibilities.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
