‘EVERYONE understands that (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu and his government are not willing to reach a ceasefire deal,’ Hamas warned yesterday.
The Hamas Palestine liberation movement spokesman Osama Hamdan said: ‘In fact, the Israelis in those two days of negotiations (in Qatar last week), rejected the paper which was introduced by the Americans on 24th June, based on Mr Biden’s initiative and the Security Council Resolution and also the Israeli points.
‘They rejected that even after Hamas had accepted it.
‘After two days negotiation they stand against the paper and they have new ideas which were not discussed before.
‘I believe we have to recall what Gallant, (Israeli army minister) has said. He said the main obstacle to achieving an agreement is Netanyahu. He was and is the obstacle.’
Hamdan went on: ‘We have said we will not accept temporary arrangements. It had been done in November 2023 and the Israelis undermined that.
‘So we want a full arrangement and all the negotiations were on the basis of a complete arrangement, including a ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from all of Gaza.
‘So they are stepping back. It’s not Hamas stepping back.’
Hamdan added that the Israelis declared in the latest round of talks in Qatar that they wanted the right to come back to fight, a condition which he said was unacceptable for Palestinians.
Hassan Barari, professor of international relations at Qatar University, said that Hamas has learned from its past dealings with Israel that they change positions every time a deal is close.
‘When a deal is within range, the Israelis would do something different, like committing atrocities or assassinating leaders,’ he said.
‘They learned from the brief history that Israelis go to negotiations in bad faith and they have an intention to undermine the talks.’
Barari said Israel tries to shift the blame to Hamas in these situations, adding however that he believes this time a deal is close due to the US administration’s pressure on Israel.
‘Netanyahu is facing a tough time now as even his negotiating team is talking about a deal that is possible.’
- Member of the Hamas political bureau, Ezzat Al-Resheq, announced that Hamas has supported a request by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a 7-day truce in order to vaccinate thousands of children against polio.
Al-Resheq demanded last Friday the urgent delivery of medicine and food to more than two million Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
On Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced the first infection with the polio virus, whereas UNICEF called for a humanitarian truce to vaccinate children against polio.
The Director of Field Hospitals at the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Marwan Al-Hems, warned that discovering the first case of polio means that there are 200 cases that have not yet been detected and did not show symptoms.
In a statement on its website, the UNICEF called for a 7-day humanitarian truce to allow two rounds of vaccination campaigns for about 640,000 children. The UN organisation explained that this truce would allow children and families to safely access health facilities and vaccination teams.
For its part, the Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed in press statements that the vaccines entering the Gaza Strip do not meet the required limit to confront the epidemics.
