Hamas has condemned the recent ceasefire proposal for Gaza, introduced in Doha last week, as being biased toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands, particularly his refusal to agree to a lasting ceasefire, IANS reported.
The group contends that the proposal meets Netanyahu’s conditions, such as rejecting a permanent ceasefire, retaining control over the Netzarim Corridor, Rafah Crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor, and adding new terms to the prisoner exchange, which Hamas claims have stalled the finalisation of the deal, according to Xinhua news agency.
Hamas accused Netanyahu of obstructing the mediators’ efforts to secure an agreement, blaming him for endangering Israeli hostages by continuing his aggressive actions in Gaza.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to the July 2 agreement, based on US President Joe Biden’s announcement and a UN Security Council resolution, urging Egyptian and Qatari mediators to enforce the agreed-upon terms.
After a fresh round of ceasefire negotiations in Doha on Thursday and Friday, the three mediators issued a joint statement saying the talks had made “constructive” progress and that efforts would continue in the coming days to finalise the deal’s implementation.
Netanyahu’s office acknowledged the mediators’ efforts and expressed hope that they would lead Hamas to accept the terms of a proposal made in late May.
Meanwhile, Hamas, which did not directly participate in the negotiations, accused Israel of introducing new conditions to a previously agreed proposal and criticized the US administration for creating what it described as a “false positive atmosphere,” expressing skepticism about the talks’ success.
