Talks about a ceasefire in the Gaza war are at a standstill. The USA is investing heavily in their successful conclusion. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is irritating Hamas with maximum demands.
Hamas in the Gaza Strip rejects the proposals of the last round of indirect negotiations with Israel on a ceasefire in the Gaza war. “After hearing from the mediators what was discussed at the last round of talks in Doha, we are once again convinced that (Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) continues to put obstacles in the way of an agreement,” the Islamist organization said in a statement.
This was Hamas’ first statement since the last round of talks, which took place on Thursday and Friday in the Qatari capital Doha. Hamas did not attend, so it asked the mediators to inform it of the results. Israel and Hamas have only negotiated indirectly so far anyway.
Hamas further stated that Netanyahu would “make new conditions and demands to torpedo the efforts of the mediators and prolong the war.” Egypt, Qatar and the USA are mediating in the talks, which are also expected to lead to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
Indirect talks to continue
According to Hamas, the new proposals are in line with Netanyahu’s conditions and deviate from the negotiating framework presented by US President Joe Biden in May and accepted by both sides. Among other things, Hamas will not accept a permanent Israeli troop presence in strategic locations in the Gaza Strip, as Netanyahu is now persistently demanding. This primarily concerns the so-called Philadelphia Corridor, a narrow strip of territory that runs along the border with Egypt in southern Gaza. Israel suspects that Hamas has been supplying itself with weapons across this border.
The indirect talks are set to continue at various levels and will potentially reach a decisive phase in the second half of the week. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to meet Netanyahu on Monday. The Israeli head of government has so far shown no sign of conceding.
According to Israeli media reports, a meeting between Netanyahu and his negotiators on Sunday morning was extremely stormy. The negotiators warned urgently that insisting on the Philadelphia Corridor would cause the desired agreement to fail. In the evening, the Prime Minister announced through his office that he continued to insist “that we stay in the Philadelphia Corridor to prevent terrorist elements from rearming.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
