PIJ official says discussions on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza ‘currently stalled’
We’ve been speaking to an official at the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an armed group that fights alongside Hamas in Gaza, about the ongoing ceasefire talks in Qatar.
Muhammad al-Hindi, the group’s deputy secretary-general, said the current talks are aimed at reaching a framework agreement that addresses three main issues: the end of Israel’s war, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and mechanisms for the safe distribution of aid.
He said Israel wants to move on to discussing the details of the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners before reaching an agreement on the main issues.
“What we are currently discussing is a framework agreement,” al-Hindi said.
“The framework agreement revolves around three basic points. The first issue is the cessation of aggression. This requires guarantees. We do not trust any guarantees because of past experience. The United States provided guarantees, but after Israel took its prisoners, it did not comply,” he said.
“The second issue is the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. This is currently stalled. The Americans say we will postpone discussions on this point and begin talking about the prisoners’ issue. But the prisoners’ issue is not part of the framework. In the framework, we must agree on the withdrawal, which is a fundamental issue. Because if Israel wants to take Rafah and put up tents on the ruins of Rafah to cram in, starve, and oppress people, this is not a framework agreement,” he continued.
“The third issue is the mechanism for distributing aid. Are we going to legislate the death traps that everyone sees in the agreement? Are we going to say we agree to the death traps remaining? Today, so many people were killed while trying to get aid. No one can agree to this,” al-Hindi said. “We want to protect our people, not to offer these victims as easy prey for Israeli planes that bomb and kill them all the time.”
The official added that the Palestinian resistance will not sign any agreement that leads to surrender and the annexation of large areas of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media report stalled ceasefire negotiations
There was a suggestion from the US envoy Steve Witkoff for the Israeli and Palestinian sides to put aside the outstanding issues, the stumbling blocks, and talk about details. But that’s not going to work because talking about implementing a ceasefire without agreeing on the framework of that ceasefire, which is where the ceasefire talks are at, really defeats the purpose.
For now, the Israeli side seems to be stuck on the idea that Israel needs to maintain absolute control over Rafah and the Morag Corridor.
This is something that Palestinian groups, especially Hamas, have said that they cannot accept because not only would it legitimise and normalise the occupation but also the taking-over of Rafah and about 40 percent of Gaza. It would also open the way for that mass expulsion plan that Israel has been talking about.
