Hamas officially rejected the last proposal from the ceasefire of Israel, claiming that it will not accept a “partial” agreement which does not guarantee the end of the war or a complete withdrawal of the Israeli Gaza troops.
The chief negotiator of Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, accused the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, of proposing an offer which “defines conditions impossible for an agreement which does not lead to the end of the war or to a complete withdrawal”.
There are 58 hostages held in Gaza which were captured by Hamas after the attack on October 7 against the south of Israel in 2023, with 24 which would still be alive.
In the most recent offer of Israel in Hamas, they had proposed the initial release of 10 hostages in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners, with the promise of a more in-depth discussion from the end of the war and the restoration of aid to Gaza.
For the first time, Israel had demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas as part of the agreement – which, according to the militant group, is a red line. Hayya said it was their “natural right” to have weapons.
In a statement, Hayya said that Hamas was no longer willing to accept “partial agreements as a cover of their political program, which is based on the continuation of the war of extermination and famine”.
He said Hamas was ready to accept a “complete package” that has released all hostages, in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. A key condition, he added, was that Israel “must completely end the war against our people and completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip”.
This week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz clearly indicated that Israeli troops intended to stay in “security buffers” that she had established in Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in March.
In recent weeks, Israeli troops have taken control of around 30% Gaza, including Rafah parties. More than 1,600 people in Gaza have been killed since the cease-fire collapsed, with 15 people, including 10 people from the same family, killed in air strikes overnight.
After Hamas’ rejection of the Agreement, the Minister of Finance of the far right of Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, said that it was time “to open the doors of hell” on Gaza. Earlier this week, Katz was committed to degenerating the conflict with “formidable strength” if Hamas did not return hostages.
The attempts at mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States to restore the ceasefire and bring back to the house the hostages reached major trips, and no progress was made in the last series of talks in Cairo this week, according to officials.
Help supplies, including food, water and fuel, have been prevented from entering Gaza since March 2. Hamas has accused Israel of having used mass famine as a weapon, which they think is a war crime.
There are also fears for the life of the remaining living hostages while Israel continues its air strikes in Gaza. This week, a spokesperson for the Hamas armed wing said that he had lost contact with the Israeli-American hostage group Edan Alexander after a “direct strike” on his location.
The White House criticized Hamas for its rejection of the agreement offered by Israel.
“Hamas’ comments demonstrate that they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence,” said the spokesman for the US National Security Council James Hewitt. “The terms established by the Trump administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell.”
