Hamas wants guarantees from US that Israel will not invade Rafah
Osama Hamdan, a senior Spokesperson for Hamas, says that to agree to any ceasefire deal, his group needs a guarantee from the US that Israeli forces will not launch a ground assault on Rafah.
“We are still talking about the main issues, which are the complete ceasefire and complete withdrawal [of Israel] from Gaza,” he told Al Jazeera. “Unfortunately, there was a clear statement from Netanyahu saying regardless of any ceasefire or not, he’ll continue the attack against Rafah – which means there will be no ceasefire.
“Our understanding to achieve a ceasefire means there will be no more attacks anywhere in Gaza, including Rafah.”
Brother of Israeli captive urges Netanyahu to sign ceasefire deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure, with thousands gathering in Tel Aviv to attend what’s become a weekly protest against the government’s handling of the war. The protesters are calling for Netanyahu to sign a deal with Hamas and return the Israeli captives held in Gaza.
“Bibi, we call you to reach a ceasefire deal which secures the release of all hostages,” Danny Elgar, the brother of Israeli captive Yitzhak Elgar, said at the protest.
“You are taking more time so you and [National Security Minister] Ben Gvir can stay in power. You are taking more time so you will stay in power. You don’t care about the 133 or 132 hostages. An operation in Rafah will cause the death of the hostages. You don’t have mandate to kill 132 citizens of Israel.”
Palestinians hope for an end to ‘seven months of torture’
Gaza resident Ramzi Okasha says while he hopes a truce deal is reached, he remains “pessimistic” about the latest round of negotiations between Hamas and Israel because of months of previous failures.
“Unfortunately, many times we have seen talks fail. We hope this time there is a ceasefire agreement to end seven months of torture, seven months of losing humanity, seven months of a lack of basic necessities of life,” he told Al Jazeera.
When asked what a ceasefire agreement would mean, Okasha said he wants to go home.
“We were displaced since October from northern areas of Gaza. We are eager to go home. To start rebuilding our homes, to teach our children, and to live as normally as other people live.”
Essay Pro