- Hamas rejects new Gaza armistice talks with Israel
- Israel plans to resume negotiations for Gaza captive release
- International pressure mounts on Israel amid ongoing conflict
In the wake of Israeli media reports that there is a desire to resume Gaza armistice negotiations, Hamas official Osama Hamdan has declared that there is no necessity for new talks with Israel.
Hamdan stated that the immediate necessity is for Israel to cease all aggression and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
“We do not require additional negotiations,” he stated, noting that Hamas has already consented to a ceasefire proposal that Israel has rejected.
“There is no assurance that Israel will accept new proposals to engage in negotiations.” He also stated that this would allow Israel to continue its aggression for an extended period if there are no genuine guarantees.
Hamas approved a ceasefire proposal for the seven-month Gaza conflict that was proposed by mediators Qatar and Egypt earlier this month. However, Israel stated that the proposal does not meet its requirements.
Israeli media reported on Saturday that officials involved in the negotiations stated that the Israeli government intended to resume talks for a Gaza captive release agreement in the coming days following a meeting with mediators in Paris.
Israeli intelligence chief David Barnea had consented to a new framework for the negotiations that had been stalled, as per the reports. The mediators were Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and CIA Director Bill Burns.
The Israeli negotiating team formulated the new offer, including potential resolutions to the points of contention raised during previous discussions. However, defense ministry officials think that Israel will be able to revert to war in the event of a need after several months, even if it commits to a temporary ceasefire.
Hamas has maintained that it is not amenable to a temporary truce and that the halt to hostilities must be permanent.
Israel has maintained that the conflict will not conclude until its objectives are achieved, which include the destruction of Hamas. Nevertheless, Israel is facing increasing pressure from the international community to cease its activities and is becoming more isolated. An International Court of Justice order to stop its Rafah offensive, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court’s pursuit of arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the recognition of Palestine by Ireland, Norway, and Spain are among the most recent setbacks for Israel.
Rafah border
In the interim, Washington reported that top diplomat Antony Blinken had also engaged in discussions with Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz regarding new initiatives to reopen the border crossing in Rafah, a city located in the far southern region of Gaza.
According to Al-Qahera News, Cairo was also reportedly continuing “its efforts to reactivate ceasefire negotiations and exchange prisoners and detainees.”
It was further stated that Egypt was applying “a variety of pressure on Israel to expedite the entry of the aid and fuel that were stranded at the Rafah crossing” following its closure by Israel earlier this month.
However, a Hamas official refuted Israeli media reports that Gaza armistice negotiations would resume in Cairo on Tuesday.
When questioned about the allegations, the unnamed Hamas official responded to the Reuters news agency, “There is no date.”
This month, negotiations to negotiate a truce agreement and liberate hostages for Gaza were suspended as a result of Israel’s military operation in Rafah.
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Since October 7, Israel’s conflict with Gaza has resulted in the deaths of at least 35,903 individuals and the injuries of 80,420 others.
The revised fatality toll in Israel from Hamas’s attack is 1,139, with dozens of individuals still being held captive.
Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to urge the government to take immediate action to return captives held in Gaza following the recovery of the corpses of several individuals.
A second protest was also conducted in the vicinity, advocating Netanyahu’s resignation and an early election.
Netanyahu and his government have yet to negotiate a deal with Hamas despite the significant pressure they have faced. Numerous critics have expressed skepticism regarding their willingness to negotiate a deal.
