The US State Department's acting spokesman, Vedant Patel, said that what was attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his insistence on new demands in the negotiations for a ceasefire (in the negotiations on Thursday) is just allegations, nothing more.

In response to a question from a Quds.com correspondent regarding what the New York Times reported about new demands that Netanyahu had made on Hamas in order for there to be a ceasefire and for aid to enter the Gaza Strip, in addition to the proposal made by US President Joe Biden on May 31 on the basis that it was an Israeli proposal, Patel said: “I will not comment on the alleged leaks or the alleged documents or the private diplomatic conversations.”

“What I can say is that the ongoing talks have had and continue to have the outlines of the plan that President Biden laid out at the end of May, which has had the support of the Arab world, the support of the UN Security Council, the support of allies and partners like NATO and the G7, and that is what we will continue to focus on,” Patel added.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that Netanyahu is sticking to two conditions before the start of negotiations hosted by the Qatari capital tomorrow, Thursday, regarding reaching an agreement to cease fire in Gaza and exchange prisoners with the Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas, which confirmed its rejection of the principle of negotiating according to new conditions.

The Israeli Authority indicated that the two conditions that Netanyahu is adhering to are remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor and searching those returning to the northern Gaza Strip. It pointed out that if the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor takes place, Israel will demand measures to prevent Hamas from approaching the Egyptian border.

She also reported that representatives of the Mossad, the Shin Bet and the army discussed security arrangements at the Philadelphi corridor in preparation for the deal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Wednesday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, "where the Secretary and the Prime Minister discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and the importance of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza," according to a US State Department statement, a copy of which was received by Al-Quds.

The statement added, "The Minister and the Prime Minister stated that no party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach an agreement. They also affirmed the joint statement by the leaders of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, and the Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the critical role that Qatar plays in working to achieve lasting peace in the region."

At the same time, the United States and Israel announced sending two delegations to the Qatari capital, Doha, to participate in Thursday's negotiations, including the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, William Burns, and President Lyndon B. Johnson's envoy to the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, while Hamas reaffirmed its position of rejecting negotiations according to new conditions and data.

Netanyahu has decided to send his entire negotiating team to Doha on Thursday, according to Israeli statements, to discuss reaching a prisoner exchange deal, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli delegation includes Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and the army's prisoner and missing persons affairs official, Major General Nitzan Alon.

This Israeli decision came at the end of consultations that also discussed the mandate granted to the negotiating team, which it is not yet known whether it is a full mandate or not.

Hamas said on Wednesday that it will not participate in a new round of ceasefire talks, confirming its declared position of rejecting new negotiations and its adherence to the paper presented by the mediators.

Axios quoted sources as saying that Hamas made it clear that its representatives will not participate in Thursday's talks, but that they will be willing to meet with the mediators after that, to get an update, and to find out if Israel will present a serious and practical proposal for the deal.

Reuters quoted Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri as saying, "Hamas is committed to the mediators' paper that was presented to it on July 2, which is based on the Security Council resolution and US President Joe Biden's speech (May 31), and the movement is ready to immediately begin looking into the mechanisms for its implementation."