After 200 days of conflict, Hamas: “Israel does not want a ceasefire”

After 6 months of conflict and over 34 thousand victims, work is underway to find an agreement. The point about the war in the Middle East

ROME – “It is clear from the Israeli media that they are still insisting on two main issues: they do not want a complete ceasefire and are not serious about withdrawing from Gaza. In fact, they are still talking about their presence, which means they will continue to occupy Gaza.” This is what Osama Hamdan, Hamas spokesman, said in an interview with the Al Jazeera broadcaster. Hamdan thus reiterated what, for the Palestinian group, remain the essential conditions for the release of the Israeli hostages: the ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Tel Aviv forces from the Strip, which has exceeded 200 days of war. The spokesperson added: “We have serious questions for the mediators. If there are positive responses, I think we can move forward.” In the last hour the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Israeli proposal was an “extraordinarily generous” offer, before flying to Riyadh to meet heir to the Saudi throne Mohammed bin Salman.

THE NEW DRAFT AGREEMENT FOR GAZA

The Times of Israel reports that an Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo tomorrow, clarifying that Tel Aviv is “still awaiting a response” from the group’s leaders. Negotiations for Gaza have thus resumed, after a new draft agreement sent by the Israeli authorities to Hamas: on the one hand, the Israeli government aims for the complete release of the captured hostages by fighters linked to Hamas last October 7, also due to strong popular pressure; Hamas, on the other hand, wants to obtain a ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, after over 6 months of military operations which caused more than 34 thousand victims and displaced almost the entire population of the Strip. Meanwhile, the United States has reportedly expressed concerns about the possibility of bringing the negotiations to a successful conclusion, if in the meantime the International Criminal Court in The Hague will issue the international arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide crimes committed in Gaza. An “informed source” reported this to Bloomberg.