Rafah attack to be launched if no deal soon on ceasefire: Report
Israeli army radio said that a plan to attack Gaza’s southern Rafah city will be launched if there is no ceasefire deal with Hamas “in the coming days”.
In a post on social media attributing information to “security officials”, Israel’s GLZ Radio said “the order will be given to launch an operation in Rafah” if progress is not made within days on “negotiations for a deal”.
Hamas negotiators are said to be preparing a written response to what is believed to be an Israeli offer of a 40-day ceasefire.
Senior Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera on Monday that it was clear Israel still does not want a “complete ceasefire” – a key demand of the Palestinian group.
A house damaged in an Israeli strike lies in ruins in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 29
‘Stopping a crime is not generous’: Hamas
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his way to Jordan and then Israel with discussions on the war on Gaza front and centre. Blinken on Monday said the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal is an “extraordinarily generous” offer and Hamas should accept it “quickly”.
But a Hamas official said there’s nothing “generous” about halting attacks that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, mostly children and women. “The attack itself is a crime so when you stop a crime you can’t claim that it’s a generous action from the Israeli side,” Hamas’s Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera.
More bad news for Netanyahu after all his attempts to drive a bigger wedge between Gaza and the West Bank.
China says Hamas and Fatah met for discussions in Beijing
The rival Palestinian groups met in China’s capital recently for “in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation”.
“Representatives of the Palestine National Liberation Movement [Fatah] and the Islamic Resistance Movement [Hamas] recently came to Beijing,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, adding that “positive progress” was made in discussions.
“China and Palestine share a traditional friendship. We support Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation and increasing solidarity through dialogue and consultation. We will continue to work actively towards that end,” Jian added.
Israel still refuses to pull out troops from Gaza: Hamas
Hamas continues to review the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal but a senior official from the group noted it continues to ignore demands for a permanent end to the war.
Israel has reportedly offered a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners, in return for the freedom of about 130 Israeli captives, according to UK Foreign Minister David Cameron.
“It’s clear from the Israeli paper that they are still insisting on two major issue: they don’t want a complete ceasefire and they are not talking – in a serious way – about the withdrawal from Gaza. In fact, they are still talking about their presence, which means they will continue to occupy Gaza,” Hamas’s Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera.
“We have serious questions for the mediators. If there are positive answers, I think we can move forward.
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