Hamas wants ceasefire deal soon
Last Updated on January 6, 2025 6:41 am
A new round of indirect talks on a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip has resumed in Doha, Qatar, the Palestinian independence movement Hamas said.
Senior Hamas leader Bassem Naim said in a statement that their side is continuing its sincere efforts to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
He added that the new talks will also discuss a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupying Israeli forces.
The three countries Qatar, Egypt and the United States are acting as mediators in the ceasefire agreement between the two countries. They have been holding several rounds of talks between Israel and Hamas for months. However, their talks have failed to end the devastating conflict in Gaza that has been going on for more than a year. Analysts believe that Israel’s reluctance to a permanent ceasefire is the main reason for the agreement.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had approved Israeli negotiators for talks in Doha. However, Hamas and Israel have since blamed each other for the delay in the ceasefire. Hamas said Israel has imposed new conditions.
Hamas entered southern Israel on October 7 last year to avenge the many serious injustices it has inflicted on ordinary Palestinians over the years, including torture, brutality, genocide, rape, human rights violations and land grabbing. In addition to killing 1,200 Israelis in this unprecedented attack, Hamas also took about 250 Israeli and foreign citizens captive and brought them to Gaza. Since the same day, Israel has been indiscriminately bombing and ground attacks on Gaza, declaring war on Hamas. More than 45,500 Palestinians have been killed in their attacks so far. More than 100,000 people have been injured.
In November 2023, a seven-day ceasefire agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel, brokered by Qatar and Egypt. Under the agreement, Hamas also released more than 100 Israeli prisoners. However, they still hold 96 prisoners. According to Israeli data, 62 of them are alive.
Source: Al Jazeera