Hamas accuses Netanyahu of ‘obstructing’ Gaza truce deal

Cairo. The new proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip contains new conditions from Israel that hinder an agreement and nullify the efforts of mediators and the UN to continue the war, the Palestinian movement Hamas denounced on Sunday.

“After hearing from the mediators about what happened in the last round of talks in Doha, we have been reassured that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu continues to obstruct the achievement of an agreement and imposes new conditions and demands with the aim of nullifying the efforts of the UN and the mediators and prolonging the war,” Hamas said in a statement.

The movement stressed that the new proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip “meets Israel’s conditions.”

The initiative “also sets new conditions on the exchange of prisoners and abandons a number of clauses, which creates an obstacle to concluding an exchange agreement,” he stressed.

On Thursday and Friday, the Qatari capital hosted ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip with the participation of Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Israel. Hamas leaders refused to take part in the talks due to the lack of specific terms of the ceasefire.

According to a joint statement by the US, Qatar and Egypt released at the end of the talks, the mediators presented Israel and Hamas with a ceasefire proposal to reduce differences between the parties.

Senior Egyptian, US and Qatari government officials will meet in Cairo before the end of next week in hopes of reaching a deal along the terms proposed on Friday.

On October 7, a coordinated Hamas attack on more than 20 Israeli communities resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths, around 5,500 injuries, and the capture of 253 hostages, of whom nearly 100 were later released in prisoner exchanges.

In retaliation, Israel declared war on Hamas and launched a series of bombings on Gaza, which have so far left more than 40,000 dead and more than 92,600 wounded.

Russia and other countries are urging Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and are advocating a two-state solution, approved by the UN in 1947, as the only possible way to achieve lasting peace in the region.