Hamas is able to instantly negotiate an settlement to swap all hostages for an agreed variety of Palestinians jailed by Israel as a part of a broader deal to finish the battle in Gaza, the Palestinian resistance group’s chief for the enclave mentioned on Thursday.
In a televised speech, Khalil Al-Hayya, who leads the Hamas negotiating workforce for oblique talks with Israel, mentioned the group wouldn’t settle for any “partial” cease-fire deal in Gaza, signalling rejection of Israel’s newest proposal.
“(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and his government use partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation, even if the price is sacrificing all his prisoners. We will not be part of passing this policy,” mentioned Al-Hayya.
He mentioned Hamas “seeks a comprehensive deal involving a single-package prisoner exchange in return for halting the war, a withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip, and the commencement of reconstruction” within the enclave.
Egyptian mediators have been working to revive the January cease-fire settlement that halted relentless Israeli assaults on Gaza earlier than breaking down final month, however there was little signal of progress with each Israel and Hamas blaming one another for the shortage of a deal.
The newest spherical of talks on Monday in Cairo to revive the cease-fire and free Israeli hostages ended with no obvious breakthrough, Palestinian and Egyptian sources mentioned.
The battle started with the Oct. 7, 2023, incursion of southern Israel by Hamas, which induced round 1,200 deaths. The group took round 251 hostages, most of whom have since been launched in cease-fire agreements or different offers.
Israel’s genocidal assaults, as compared, have killed over 51,000 Palestinians, largely girls and youngsters, in response to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The battle has destroyed huge components of Gaza and most of its meals manufacturing capabilities. The battle has displaced round 90% of the inhabitants, with a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals residing in tent camps and bombed-out buildings.
A senior Hamas official instructed Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier this week that the group had acquired a brand new Israeli proposal to halt the battle.
The provide features a truce of not less than 45 days in return for the discharge of 10 residing hostages held in Gaza, the official mentioned.
It additionally gives for the discharge of 1,231 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails and the entry of humanitarian support into the territory, which has been beneath an entire blockade since March 2.
The proposal requires a “permanent end to the war” on the situation that Palestinian factions in Gaza, together with Hamas, disarm, the official mentioned.
Hamas has persistently rejected the disarmament demand as a “red line”, describing it as “non-negotiable.”
On Thursday, Al-Hayya reiterated the group’s place on the matter.
“The resistance and its weapons are tied to the presence of the occupation. They are a natural right for our people, and for all peoples living under occupation,” he mentioned.
Al-Hayya mentioned that Hamas accepted a proposal by the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, to launch some hostages in return for Palestinians jailed by Israel and start talks on implementing the second part of the cease-fire settlement that features ending the battle and Israeli forces’ withdrawal from Gaza.
He accused Israel of providing a counterproposal with “impossible conditions.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com