فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas accused each other on Wednesday of hindering indirect negotiations on an agreement in Gaza, where both sides have been engaged in a war for over a year.
In a statement, Hamas accused Israel of imposing “new conditions” in the ongoing discussions in Doha. “The (Israeli) occupation has imposed new conditions regarding the withdrawal (of its troops from the Gaza Strip), the ceasefire, prisoners (hostages held in Gaza and Palestinians detained by Israel), and the return of displaced persons, which has delayed the conclusion of an agreement,” the movement stated.
Israel responded minutes later, in turn accusing Hamas of “creating new obstacles in the negotiations.” “The terrorist organization Hamas is lying once again, backtracking on points that had been agreed upon, and continuing to create new obstacles in the negotiations,” said the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Although Hamas has indicated that “negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange” are “still ongoing in Doha with the mediation of Qatar and Egypt,” these statements contrast with the optimism displayed in recent days by both sides. Mr. Netanyahu’s office confirmed progress on Tuesday after the return to Israel of negotiators sent to Doha.
Hamas and two other Palestinian groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, had stated last week that a ceasefire agreement was “closer than ever” if Israel did not impose new conditions.
Among the main sticking points are the permanent or temporary nature of a ceasefire and the governance of the Gaza Strip after the war. Netanyahu declared last week in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he would not “agree to end the war before Hamas withdraws” from the Gaza Strip, from where the Palestinian movement launched its attack on October 7.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of more than 1,200 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians. On that day, 251 Israelis were kidnapped. Among them, 96 remain hostages in Gaza, with 34 declared dead by the army.
More than 45,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli military campaign in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas attack, according to data from the Health Ministry of the Hamas government, deemed reliable by the UN.
Despite intense diplomatic efforts, no truce has been concluded between Israel and Hamas since the one-week ceasefire that occurred in late November 2023.
