More from Hamas’s Basem Naim
Despite Steve Witkoff’s proposal falling short of Hamas’s demands, the Palestinian group “responded positively and in a very responsible manner”, Naim says.
“We have said, ‘OK – based on the dire situation on the ground, the needs of our people, we have to find a way to find common ground with his proposal’. This is exactly what we have done,” the Hamas official told Al Jazeera.
Naim said Hamas wanted to go into ceasefire negotiations with two proposals on the table, to see how things could move forward.
“The main goal for us is how to secure our people a 60-day temporary ceasefire and enough inflow of humanitarian aid, and at the end of these negotiations, to guarantee a permanent ceasefire or an end to this war.”
Prolonging war helps Netanyahu ‘maintain grip on power’
As we’ve been reporting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Israel will continue its military assault on Gaza until it secures the release of Israeli captives and destroys Hamas.
But experts – including senior officials within Israel, and other observers, have noted the Israeli prime minister has failed to achieve either of those goals – and he’s unlikely to do so.
Instead, many argue Netanyahu is seeking to prolong the Israeli bombardment of Gaza as a way to maintain his grip on power.
The Israeli leader has faced growing public anger within Israel for failing to secure the captives’ release, with many families urging him to agree to a deal that would see them freed in exchange for a permanent end to the war.
“The prolongation of the war has served a dual purpose for the prime minster: to maintain his grip on power, considering his uncertain political prospects in a future election, and to provide a public distraction and delay to the pending corruption cases against him,” political analyst Thair Abu Ras wrote last month in a policy brief for the Arab Center Washington DC.
“Reshaping the Gaza Strip both geographically and demographically,” Abu Ras added, also “serves Netanyahu’s survival interests as well as his ideological priorities and, crucially, those of his coalition partners.”
