Mediators were unable to broker a new truce like the week-long ceasefire last November
Jerusalem:
A senior Hamas official insisted Saturday night that the group “would not under any circumstances agree” to a truce in Gaza that did not explicitly include a complete end to the war.
The official, who asked not to be identified, condemned Israeli efforts to reach an agreement on the release of hostages “without linking it to the end of the aggression in Gaza.”
“Hamas will not under any circumstances agree to a deal that does not explicitly include an end to the war in Gaza,” the official said.
“There will be no agreement without the complete cessation of the war and the withdrawal of occupation from the entire Gaza Strip.”
A senior Israeli official said Saturday that Hamas’ failure to give up its demand to end the war was “thwarting the possibility of reaching an agreement.”
The comments came after Hamas negotiators returned to Egypt on Saturday to give their response to a proposed pause in the nearly seven-month war.
The Israeli official, however, said that the country would only send a delegation to Cairo if it saw “positive movement” in the framework for a hostage agreement, something that does not appear to be the case.
Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States are waiting for Hamas to respond to a proposal that would suspend fighting for 40 days and swap hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, according to details released by Britain.
Despite months of diplomacy between the conflicting parties, mediators were unable to broker a new truce, such as the week-long ceasefire that resulted in the release of 105 hostages last November, including Israelis in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. .
The Hamas official said Saturday night that talks had ended that day after “no developments.”
“Hamas requested that the agreement include a clear and explicit provision stating: ‘Agreement on a complete and permanent ceasefire,’ and Israel has so far rejected this point,” the official said.
Fears for Rafah
Hamas said the main obstacle is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on sending ground troops to Rafah, the city in southern Gaza that is filled with displaced civilians.
Washington has repeatedly said it opposes any military operation in Rafah that would endanger the 1.2 million civilians sheltering there.
“We are eager to reach an agreement, but not at any cost,” said the Hamas official, adding that if no agreement is reached, Israel will take “full responsibility for insisting on entering Rafah instead of ceasing aggression.”
Netanyahu was “personally undermining” a truce agreement in Gaza due to “personal interests”, the source charged, warning that if Israel proceeds with plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, this will be at risk.
“We confirm that invading Rafah will not be a walk in the park and that the occupation will pay a high price for any adventure it embarks on, and will end in failure.”
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