Hamas says Israeli proposal fails to meet demands but is under review
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Hashim Sheikh
- . April 8, 2024
- . Update: April 10, 2024 11:12 am
Hamas said that an Israeli plan for a ceasefire in Gaza did not meet the demands of Palestinian militant groups. The plan was given to Hamas by Egyptian and Qatari mediators at talks in Cairo. The talks were trying to find a way to end the war in Gaza, which has been going on for 7 months.
Hamas said that Israel’s position “did not meet any of the demands of our people and our resistance.” However, Hamas also said it would study the proposal further and give its response to the mediators. This is different from what Hamas officials had told Reuters on Monday. They had said that Hamas had rejected the Israeli ceasefire plan and that no progress was made in the talks.
Ongoing Conflict and Demands for Israeli proposal fails
Hamas wants any agreement to end the Israeli military offensive, have Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza, and allow displaced people to return to their homes. Israel wants to get back the hostages taken by Hamas in October, and to make Hamas, who rules Gaza, no longer a threat.
Israel has said it wants to make a deal to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages, but it is not ready to end the military operation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a date has been set for an invasion of Rafah, which Israel says is the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza.
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Continued Hostilities
Despite the talks in Cairo, the fighting has continued. Israeli forces have increased bombings in two areas of Gaza that they have not invaded yet, Deir Al-Balah and Rafah. An airstrike also killed a municipal chief in a refugee camp in central Gaza, which Hamas said was a military officer, though Israel has not confirmed this.
The talks in Cairo, with the US CIA director attending, have so far failed to reach a breakthrough to pause the war. With both sides sticking to their positions, it is uncertain if a ceasefire will happen, and the devastating conflict in Gaza seems far from ending.
