The Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is engaged in a war with Israel, said on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “continues to put obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement” on a ceasefire, rejecting the latest progress in the negotiations.
“After hearing from the mediators about what happened in the last round of talks in Doha, it was confirmed once again that Netanyahu continues to put obstacles in the way of reaching an agreement and setting new conditions and demands with the aim of frustrating the efforts of the mediators and prolonging the war,” Hamas said in a statement.
The statement came after Israel’s negotiating team met over the weekend with representatives of the mediating countries – the United States, Qatar and Egypt – in Doha, a meeting that Hamas refused to attend, demanding instead that what had already been agreed upon in previous months based on a proposal by US President Joe Biden be implemented.
“The new proposal” that emerged after the meeting in Doha “responds to the conditions imposed by Netanyahu and is consistent with them, especially as regards his rejection of a permanent ceasefire,” stressed Hamas, which has made a definitive cessation of hostilities a condition for a truce.
The Islamist group also rejects the fact that the new proposal does not include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and that it agrees to Netanyahu’s “insistence” that the Israeli army continue to control the Netzarim crossing (which connects the north with the south of the Strip), the border crossing of the Gazan city of Rafah (with Egyptian territory) and the Philadelphia Corridor (which runs the entire length of the border between Gaza and Egypt).
Netanyahu – accused by many in his own country of torpedoing negotiations with new demands – made clear on Sunday that Israel is “negotiating, not giving in” to Hamas.
“There are things we can be flexible on and there are things we can’t, and we insist on those. We are very good at differentiating between the two,” the president said.
Netanyahu, who urged mediators to put pressure on Hamas and not Israel, is sticking to two key points: not ceasing the military offensive until the Islamist group is dismantled and not withdrawing his troops from the Philadelphia Corridor, the prime minister’s office said.
Hamas blamed Netanyahu for “thwarting the efforts of mediators and obstructing the achievement of an agreement,” saying his negotiating team “also set new conditions regarding the exchange of Palestinian prisoners” for Israeli hostages.
The Islamist group claims that it had already accepted President Biden’s proposal on July 2, while Israel claims that it has not added new demands but rather made “clarifications.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli negotiating team traveled to Cairo on Sunday to continue negotiations, which are expected to focus primarily on the Philadelphia Corridor, while the Israeli military has said it is ready to remain in that border area or withdraw with targeted incursions, as necessary.
While Washington estimates that a deal could be reached as early as next week, Netanyahu reportedly told his ministers that “the chances are not high,” according to Kan public radio.
This comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Israel on Sunday for what will be his ninth visit to the country since the war broke out, with the aim of pushing for a ceasefire agreement.
The war broke out on October 7 last year with a Hamas attack on Israel that left some 1,200 dead and 251 kidnapped.
Since then, Israeli forces have been attacking the Gaza Strip by air, land and sea, leaving more than 40,000 dead, 92,000 wounded, 10,000 missing under the rubble and 1.9 million displaced people surviving an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
Jerusalem / EFE
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2024-08-22 14:05:11
