GAZA: A Hamas spokesman said on Monday that the Palestinian resistance group would continue negotiations towards a truce in Gaza, despite Israel’s order to begin evacuating Palestinian people from Rafah in the south.
Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou affirmed their dedication to pursuing truce talks with optimism and an open heart. “We will continue the talks positively and with an open heart”, Abdul Latif al-Qanou told AFP. He stressed the necessity for any agreement to secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and address the longstanding demands of Palestinian people.
However, Israel has publicly dismissed the notion of a permanent ceasefire, exacerbating the already precarious situation.
The announcement from the Hamas spokesman follows Israel’s military issuing evacuation orders for Palestinians residing in eastern Rafah early Monday. This action precedes a long-anticipated ground invasion of the southern Gaza city. This has sparked concerns and widespread alarm on a global scale.
Despite recent talks in Cairo failing to yield significant progress over the weekend, Hamas’s delegation has returned to Qatar, where its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, is based. Al-Qanou indicated that the movement’s leadership is currently engaged in internal consultations and deliberations following the latest round of negotiations. “The movement’s leadership is in a state of internal and factional consultation after the last round of negotiations in Cairo,” Qanou said.
A potential truce agreement would mark the first since a week-long ceasefire in November, which facilitated a hostage-prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas. However, efforts to halt the seven-month war have encountered obstacles, primarily due to Hamas’s insistence on a lasting ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his determination to continue ground operations and eradicate the remaining fighters in Rafah. Netanyahu’s office emphasized that Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal is untenable.
Accusations have been exchanged between senior officials of Hamas and Netanyahu’s office, with each side blaming the other for sabotaging truce negotiations. Hamas accused Netanyahu of acting out of personal interests, while Netanyahu’s office refuted the claim.
