Will not accept a ceasefire that does not completely end the Gaza war: Hamas

On May 5, 2024By Vaseline

A senior Hamas official said Saturday that the group would not accept a ceasefire that would not completely end the Gaza war, accusing Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of “personally obstructing” a deal.

Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators met a Hamas delegation in Cairo on Saturday in the latest attempt to halt the devastating nearly seven-month war that has sparked global protests.

They would hear the militant group’s response to a proposal that would halt fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by Britain.

But a senior Hamas official insisted late Saturday that the group would “under no circumstances” agree to a ceasefire that did not explicitly spell a complete end to the war, including Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

The official, who asked not to be named, condemned Israeli efforts to broker an agreement on the release of hostages “without linking it to an end to the aggression against Gaza.” He accused Netanyahu of “personally obstructing” efforts to broker a ceasefire because of “personal interests.” “.

A top Israeli official had previously accused Hamas of “thwarting the possibility of reaching an agreement” by refusing to give up its demand for an end to the war.

Despite months of shuttle diplomacy, mediators have been unable to broker a new ceasefire, as in the weeklong ceasefire that saw the release of 105 hostages last November, including Israelis in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel held.

Earlier negotiations stalled in part over Hamas’s demands for a lasting ceasefire and Netanyahu’s repeated promises to crush the group’s remaining fighters in the southern city of Rafah, which is overrun with displaced civilians.

Israel has not yet sent a delegation to Cairo. The Israeli official told AFP she would only do so if there was “positive movement” on the proposed framework.

“Tough and long negotiations are expected for an actual deal,” the official added.

A senior Hamas source close to the negotiations told AFP they would resume on Sunday.

More deaths

The war broke out after Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 34,654 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Israel’s Health Ministry.

Gaza’s Civil Defense Agency and hospitals reported more deaths from Israeli attacks in Rafah and areas further north.

The United Nations says more than 70 percent of Gaza’s residential buildings have been partially or completely destroyed, and reconstruction will require an effort not seen since the aftermath of World War II.

Accepting a ceasefire with Israel should be a “no-brainer” for Hamas, which is “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire,” the US Secretary of State said Business Antony Blinken late Friday.

The prospect of an attack on Rafah has caused growing international concern.

The senior Hamas official said on Saturday that Israel “will bear full responsibility for pushing to enter Rafah instead of stopping the aggression.”

The World Health Organization says 1.2 million people, half the population of the Gaza Strip, are seeking shelter in Rafah.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on Friday that “a large-scale military operation in Rafah… could lead to a bloodbath.”

UN humanitarian agency spokesman Jens Laerke said an attack on Rafah could “deal a disastrous blow” to organizations struggling to deliver aid.

The war in Gaza has also sparked a wave of violence in the already restive occupied West Bank, where Israel said on Saturday its forces had killed five Palestinian “terrorists” during a 12-hour siege near Tulkarem.

At least 496 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the area since October 7, according to AFP figures.

‘Open minded’

Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, which has ties to the intelligence services, had quoted an unidentified senior source as saying: “There has been significant progress in negotiations” and that mediators had “reached an agreement on most of the points of contention.” “.

But the senior Hamas official said late Saturday that talks for the day had ended after “no developments.”

The top Israeli official, speaking anonymously, said it would be a sign of progress if Israel sent a delegation to Cairo led by Mossad intelligence chief David Barnea.

The continued captivity of Israeli hostages in Gaza has led to rising political tensions, with some protesters accusing Netanyahu of wanting to prolong the war.

Protesters have regularly taken to Israeli streets demanding that the government make a deal to bring the hostages home. Thousands protested again in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

“War is not sacred, life is,” the demonstrators chanted.

The Israeli government says there are 128 hostages remaining in Gaza, 35 of whom the army says are presumed dead.

Marriage in wartime

US President Joe Biden is under increasing domestic pressure to make more concessions to Netanyahu’s government on its war-fighting efforts.

A letter signed by 88 members of Congress from Biden’s Democratic Party expressed serious concerns about Israel’s “deliberate withholding” of aid to Palestinian civilians and urged Biden to consider halting arms sales unless the behavior of Israel is changing.

At US insistence, Israel has facilitated more aid deliveries to Gaza in recent days, but UN agencies say this has not averted the encroaching famine.

The head of the World Food Program, Cindy McCain, said in an interview published Friday that there is already “a full-blown famine in the north (of Gaza) and it is moving its way south.”