Hamas reportedly ended negotiations with Israel over a proposed hostage release plan and demanded that Israel first withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip.
Qatar, which has acted as an intermediary between the sparring groups, informed Israel of the suspension on Wednesday, a person familiar with the details said. According to i24 News.
Qatar has stressed Hamas' demand for a “package deal” that includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in the first phase of the deal, amid repeated attempts by Israel to negotiate a ceasefire one step at a time. .
The withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza would effectively end the war, but four months have now passed without the two countries reaching a long-term agreement.
Despite Hamas' apparent rejection of the proposal, Israeli officials said there was still a chance the two sides would come to broker a ceasefire, with anonymous officials telling Reuters earlier this week that ceasefire talks were on the table. He said that it has become.
Before Hamas demanded the removal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip, the two countries were in talks to allow an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners during a month-long ceasefire.
An end to hostilities would allow for the release of the more than 130 hostages currently being held in Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners of war and additional aid to Gaza.
The deal followed what one source called “intensive” mediation talks led by Qatar, Washington and Egypt.
One of the sources said Hamas initially proposed a break of several months, but Israel did not agree and the period was shortened to about 30 days.
The two groups have not reached an agreement on how much they want to negotiate at once, with Hamas refusing to move forward until the future terms of a permanent ceasefire are determined, while Israel All they want is to negotiate one step at a time. multiple sources told the outlet.
Palestinian officials involved in the mediation say Hamas wants to secure a “package deal” for a permanent ceasefire before agreeing to release the hostages.
Israel and Hamas only have contact through intermediaries.
Officials involved in the mediation process said they were working to persuade Hamas to accept a one-month ceasefire followed by a permanent one. Hamas rejects the deal without guarantees that Israel will not restart the conflict.
Israel offered to end the war if Hamas removed six senior officials from Gaza, but Hamas “absolutely” rejected the offer, an anonymous Hamas official told Reuters.
The shocking onslaught in southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and the Israeli response left more than 25,000 Palestinians dead.
A week-long ceasefire in November resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages and about 240 Palestinian prisoners.
On December 28, Israel and Hamas again began negotiations to halt fighting.
Despite both sides holding firm to their positions, one of the sources said a deal could be reached “at any time.”
with post wire
