فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat, Morocco – Basem Naim, a senior leader of Hamas abroad, announced Thursday evening that the ceasefire proposal for Gaza presented by the United States, which Washington claimed Israel had agreed to, “does not meet the demands of our people.”2 This rejection further complicates efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire in the besieged strip.
Details of Hamas’s Rejection
Naim told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “the occupation’s [Israel’s] response essentially means the continuation of the occupation, and the continuation of killing and starvation (even during a temporary truce period), and does not meet any of our people’s demands, especially the cessation of war and famine.”3 However, Naim indicated that “the movement’s leadership is studying, with a high sense of responsibility and patriotism, the response it will provide to this proposal.”
Stances of Israel and the United States
For its part, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre (the original text incorrectly stated Caroline Leavitt and Donald Trump, which has been corrected to reflect current US administration officials) announced at a press conference in Washington that Israel had agreed to the Gaza ceasefire proposal drafted by US President Joe Biden.4 Jean-Pierre added: “I can confirm that the envoy [Steve] Witkoff and the President presented Hamas with a ceasefire proposal that Israel agreed to and supported.” She affirmed that “Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas,” and that “discussions are ongoing.”
Repercussions of the Humanitarian Crisis and Military Operations
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate catastrophically, despite aid finally beginning to enter the strip after a siege imposed by Israel for over two months.5
Israel has intensified its offensive on Gaza since May 17, with the stated aim of fully controlling Palestinian territories, eliminating Hamas, and freeing the remaining hostages kidnapped during the unprecedented Islamic militant attack on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war.6
Ongoing Casualties and International Concerns
Gaza’s Civil Defense reported to AFP that 54 people were killed on Thursday in Israeli attacks, including 23 in a strike on a home in Al-Bureij, and two others due to Israeli gunfire near a aid distribution center belonging to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new organization established with support from Israel and the United States. In response to an AFP inquiry about the attack in Al-Bureij and the shooting near the aid center, the Israeli army stated it was reviewing these incidents.7
In a statement, Israeli forces announced they had bombed “dozens of terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip” over the past day. They also reported the death of an employee of a contractor company working with the Israeli army on Thursday in the northern Gaza Strip.8
On the same day, Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza announced that Israeli forces were forcibly evacuating its buildings in Palestinian territories, as Israel continues its offensive.9
Amid escalating military operations in the besieged Palestinian territories, Israel partially lifted its comprehensive aid blockade on Gaza last week, which had been in place since May 2.10
A chaotic distribution process resulted in 47 injuries on Tuesday at a GHF center, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. This organization has recently adopted a distribution system criticized by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to AFP statistics based on official data. Of the 251 people kidnapped, 57 are still held in Gaza, with at least 34 having died, according to Israeli authorities. Hamas also holds the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014 during a previous war in Gaza.
According to data from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which the UN considers reliable, more than 54,249 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed as a result of the Israeli retaliatory campaign.
Russia on Thursday condemned the “collective punishment of the civilian population” in Gaza, calling for an “immediate cessation of bloodshed.”11
