Hopes for the implementation of a cease-fire in Gaza dimmed after the Hamas negotiating team did not accept Israel’s terms and left Cairo for Doha for further consultations.
A senior Hamas official, who participated in the talks in Cairo, expressed his displeasure with Israel’s proposals on Thursday, March 17, and said: “I am waiting for the final official response from the enemy (Israel).”
He added: “The initial responses (of Israel) do not meet the minimum requirements related to a permanent cessation of hostilities or other conditions of Hamas for a ceasefire.”
This official said: “We do not conspire about anything that guarantees the security of the people.”
But Jack Lew, the US ambassador to Israel, said that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have not yet “failed”.
Liu said at a conference in Talabit: “The differences are decreasing. There is no agreement yet. Everyone will be looking at the month of Ramadan if it is near. I can’t say if (negotiations) will be successful, but it is not yet if it will fail.” “
Hamas has insisted on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of the refugees to their homes, allowing humanitarian aid and the start of reconstruction in this area.
On the other hand, Israel has requested a list of all the hostages alive in Gaza, which Hamas says will not be possible as long as the bombing of Israel continues.
Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, told AFP that the fate of the negotiations now depends on Washington.
Mardavi said: “Now it is up to Washington whether it wants (Benjamin) Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and his government to put pressure on the agreement.”
He added: “If Israel is serious and does not delay, a ceasefire can be reached before the beginning of Ramadan.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is under the control of Hamas, reported the death of 83 people in the last 24 hours and said that since the beginning of the conflict, 30,800 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza.
With the prolonged negotiations, the United Nations has repeatedly warned that famine is on the way for the Palestinians who are trying to survive in this land.
Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, whose country has historically sympathized with the Palestinian cause, said: “It is a tragedy for humanity and a shame for civilization that today, in the 21st century, we cannot stop this human tragedy.”
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Wednesday that 20 people died due to malnutrition and lack of water, at least half of them were children.
The United Nations on Wednesday once again cited “access restrictions,” including factors that limit essential water and other services, and Kamala Harris, the US vice president, said Israel “must not impose any unnecessary restrictions” on aid.
Yesterday, President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken called on Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement during the month of Ramadan.