Hamas outlines key demands in ceasefire talks
Hamas has detailed its main conditions in the ongoing ceasefire talks in Egypt.
Fawzi Barhoum, the group’s spokesperson, said its delegation is seeking to “overcome all obstacles” to reach an agreement that meets “the aspirations of our people in Gaza”. Barhoum listed Hamas’s key demands as:
- A permanent and comprehensive ceasefire
- The complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from all of Gaza
- Unrestricted entry of humanitarian and relief aid
- The return of displaced people to their homes
- The immediate start of a full reconstruction process, supervised by a Palestinian national body of technocrats
- A fair prisoner exchange deal
Barhoum accused Netanyahu of seeking to “obstruct and thwart” the current round of negotiations, as he had “deliberately thwarted all previous rounds”.
“Despite the brutal military force, unlimited support, and full American partnership in the war of extermination in Gaza, they have not and will not succeed in achieving a false image of victory,” Barhoum said.
Al Quds Brigades says captives will only be freed if Israel agrees to end war
The armed-wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has released a statement on the Trump plan to end the war on Gaza, which is currently being discussed in Egypt:
Here are the translated comments:
- Captives will not be released except through an exchange deal in which Israel commits to ending the war.
- All Palestinian factions will spare no effort to find a way to end the war and the suffering of Palestinians.
- The weapon of resistance exists to liberate the land and fight the enemy, and it will not be sheathed until these two goals are achieved.
‘There is a perception that disarming Hamas is the only solution’
Zeidon Alkinani, a lecturer on Middle East Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar, says the major powers are acting one-sidedly in the war in Gaza, ignoring international humanitarian warnings about the situation on the ground in light of Israeli attacks.
“There is an assumption in the war in Gaza that there is only one side in the conflict that needs to be told what to do,” he said, adding that world powers are trying to “disarm one side and ignore that there is another side that is committing a genocide”.
He stressed that there is a perception that disarming Hamas is the only solution in this conflict.
“The situation becomes very tricky when we are just proposing ideas and solutions to amend the situation as it is for one side,” he stressed.
He asked what guarantees the people in Gaza would have through the international mechanisms aiming to limit or end Israeli aggression and actions on Gaza and its residents.
