Terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad operating in Gaza have rejected an Egyptian-led truce proposal with Israel that would see the militants relinquish power in exchange for an end to the war, sources say.
The terrorists, who carried out the October 7 massacre in Israel, have refused to participate in one of the major conditions set by negotiators in Cairo on Sunday: the end of Hamas’s reign in Gaza through the formation of a Palestinian parliament and the holding of free elections. , according to two Egyptian security sources.
Instead, the terrorist organizations reiterated that the only thing they are willing to discuss is a prisoner swap that would free more than 100 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
But a Hamas official who was in Cairo during the negotiations added that even a new prisoner exchange would only take place once Israel has withdrawn from war-torn Gaza.
“Hamas seeks to end Israeli aggression against our people, massacres and genocide, and we discussed with our Egyptian brothers ways to do so,” the official told Reuters.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad appear to have rejected a proposal for permanent peace in war-torn Gaza. AFP via Getty Images
“We also said that aid to our people must continue and increase, and must reach the entire population in the north and south,” the Hamas official added. “Once the aggression stops and aid is increased, we will be ready to discuss the prisoner exchange.”
A senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, later told Al Jazeera: “No one agrees to negotiate under fire, not Hamas or anyone else.”
In terms of who would govern the Palestinian region after the war, Hamdan added: “Who will lead the Palestinians is an internal Palestinian issue.
“The people must elect their own leadership. “No one has the right to dictate, not the Americans, not the Israelis or anyone else,” he stated.
Israel’s war cabinet met shortly after the proposed peace deal was rejected, the Times of Israel said.
While previous peace talks have included exchanging one hostage for every three Palestinian women and minors freed, Islamic Jihad leaders are now demanding a different approach even on that.
Palestinian women mourn for their relatives who were killed during an Israeli airstrike on Monday. AFP via Getty Images
The terrorist group has claimed that the only fair exchange would be all hostages for all prisoners, according to Egyptian sources.
There were about 5,250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails before the war, but that number has nearly doubled after thousands more were arrested in conflicts across the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.
More than 100 Israeli hostages are believed to still be held captive in Gaza.
But although both sides are reportedly miles away from a truce, Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, has come out to insist that peace talks are not off the table, stating that Gaza groups have not rejected the Egyptian plan. .
“The leadership of the movement seeks with all its might to stop the aggression and massacres against our people completely and not temporarily,” he told Al Aljazeera. “Our people want to stop the aggression and not wait for temporary truces and a partial truce for a short period, after which the aggression and terrorism will continue.”
The Egyptian plan focuses on three phases, the first of which involves a two-week truce agreement that would free 40 hostages in exchange for 120 prisoners.
The second phase involves the establishment of a new government in Gaza, and the final step calls for permanent peace and the freedom of all hostages.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was in Cairo speaking with Egyptian negotiators. Iranian Foreign Ministry/AFP via Getty Images
Despite the terrorist groups’ apparent hesitation to accept the proposal, Israel also appears willing to reject it, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating that the war will only end when the terrorist group is destroyed.
“Anyone who talks about stopping, no. We will not stop,” Netanyahu said during a visit to Israeli troops in northern Gaza on Monday. “This is going to last until the end. Until they finish. Nothing less than that.”
In video uploaded by the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu was seen arriving in Gaza in a helicopter and being taken to where troops were stationed to give them a pep talk. He also received information about Hamas operations “in the heart of the civilian areas” of Gaza.
The developments came as Israel revealed it had found evidence of two hostages on the grounds of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, the Times of Israel said.
Hamas has said it will not accept any ceasefire until Israel withdraws from Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have been reported killed. AFP via Getty Images
A yellow Toyota Corolla discovered at the scene belonged to Samar Talalka, who was kidnapped from a kibbutz by Hamas during its October 7 massacre in Israel. Talalka and two other hostages were killed by friendly fire from Israeli troops earlier this month in a horrific botched military incident.
Blood of another hostage was found inside the vehicleAlso, Israel said, without identifying the person.
Here is more evidence connecting Hamas’ terrorist activities to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.
The discovery of these vehicles directly links the hospital to the brutal events of the October 7 massacre. pic.twitter.com/sGPymtmj0O
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 25, 2023
The mother of one of the other two hostages killed by friendly fire along with Talalka said she does not blame the Israeli military for her son’s death, and that soldiers directly involved in the fatal shootings even held shiva with the family, the Times reported. of Israel reported on Monday.
“Yotam was free, even if he did not return to Israel alive. He was free from Hamas captivity. In that way he defeated Hamas. It was important for me to tell the soldiers that,” he said.
“I wasn’t angry for a minute. Neither does my husband. There was no anger against the IDF for even a moment. There was pain, sadness, great pain. … We were shocked,” Iris Haim, whose son Yotam was murdered, told Channel 12.
Netanyahu repeated his promise to continue the war until the eradication of Hamas is complete later in a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, adding that the best way to free the remaining hostages in Gaza was to maintain “military pressure.” The Times of Israel reported.
The comments drew jeers and jeers from several representatives and the hostages’ families who attended the meeting, with one relative shouting, “We don’t have time!”
Several of the families shouted, “Now! Now! Now!”, and he was holding up signs that said, “What if I was your brother?” and “What if I were your father?”
The terrorist group has also demanded increased aid for Palestinian refugees displaced by the war. AFP via Getty Images
Netanyahu and his administration are also under fire for Israel’s alleged failures to prevent the October 7 attack.
IDF Lt. Col. Sahar Fogel was the last to speak, revealing on Monday that he had expressed concern about the approval of the location of the Supernova music festival so close to the Gaza border that weekend, the outlet reported. Haaretz local news.
Fogel said it was an “unnecessary security risk” to have a festival near Gaza, where thousands of people would celebrate during the Sukkot holiday.
Despite his objections, Fogel was allegedly told to approve the desert festival, where Hamas would descend on October 7 and kill more than 360 people.
The IDF has said it is currently investigating alleged shortcomings that allowed Hamas to invade Israel and kill more than 1,200 people.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu, also during his Monday speech at Israel’s parliament building, claimed that the International Committee of the Red Cross has refused to deliver life-saving medicines that hostages in Gaza desperately need.
The Red Cross has repeatedly denied accusations by Israeli officials and legal organizations that it was deliberately failing to care for the hostages, stating that the group has tried to maintain contact with Hamas to reach the hostages.
The Red Cross has said its ability to reach hostages is limited and has been further complicated by the ongoing conflicts in Gaza.
Nonprofit groups have claimed that Israel’s continued bombing has greatly decreased the amount of aid reaching Gaza.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn