Hamas rejected Israel’s offer . Hopes for the release of Israeli prisoners from the Hamas camp have dwindled. Peace talks failed. Hamas leaders rejected a month-long cease-fire deal proposed by Israel.
Hamas, the Palestinian group in Gaza, initially proposed a ceasefire for several months. But after that a long discussion started. Representatives of Qatar, Egypt and America were present as mediators in the meeting. Joe Biden’s administration began making diplomatic moves. In the end, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government agreed to a month-long ceasefire. But in the end, the whole discussion became stale. Both Hamas and Israel retreated.
According to representatives present at the talks, Hamas was seeking an agreement on the ‘package’. They demanded that a permanent ceasefire should be announced before the exchange of prisoners. A top Hamas leader, Sami Abu Zuhari, said, “We agree to all the initiatives and proposals, but whatever the deal, we want to stop this aggression firmly. The Israeli army cannot be kept in the Gaza Strip.” Israel demands that Hamas hand over six of its top leaders to Israel, then the war will stop permanently. Two notable names among these leaders are Yaha Sinwar and Muhammad al-Def. Allegedly, both of them were the main conspirators of the October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel. But Hamas rejected Israel’s proposal.
Israel has been saying since the beginning that they will either kill or arrest the leaders of Hamas. Failure to do so will not stop the war. But recently the government of Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is under a lot of pressure at home. 130 abductees are still being held in Hamas camps. There is constant pressure on the government from their families. In this situation, Israel and Hamas sat in peace talks. Earlier this month, Israel began sending messages to Hamas leaders, either surrender or leave. But Hamas does not agree to this proposal despite the ceasefire agreement.
Leave a Reply