Hamas Says ‘New’ Israeli Conditions Delaying Agreement On Gaza Ceasefire

Hamas accused Israel on Wednesday of imposing "new conditions" that it said were delaying a ceasefire agreement in the war in Gaza, though it acknowledged negotiations were still ongoing.

Israel has made no public statement about any new conditions in its efforts to secure the release of hostages seized on October 7, 2023.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope for a truce deal that has proven elusive.

"The ceasefire and prisoner exchange negotiations are continuing in Doha under the mediation of Qatar and Egypt in a serious manner... but the occupation has set new conditions concerning withdrawal (of troops), the ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of displaced people, which has delayed reaching an agreement," the Palestinian militant group said in a statement.

Hamas did not elaborate on the conditions imposed by Israel.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament that there was "some progress" in the talks, and on Tuesday his office said Israeli representatives had returned from Qatar after "significant negotiations".

Last week, Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups -- Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine -- said in a rare joint statement that a ceasefire agreement was "closer than ever", provided Israel did not impose new conditions.

Efforts to strike a truce and hostage release deal have repeatedly failed over key stumbling blocks.

Despite numerous rounds of indirect talks, Israel and Hamas have agreed just one truce, which lasted for a week at the end of 2023.

Negotiations have faced multiple challenges since then, with the primary point of disagreement being the establishment of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

Another unresolved issue is the governance of post-war Gaza.

It remains a highly contentious issue, including within the Palestinian leadership.

Israel has said repeatedly that it will not allow Hamas to run the territory ever again.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Netanyahu said: "I'm not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas."

He added Israel is "not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. It's not going to happen."

Netanyahu has also repeatedly stated that he does not want to withdraw Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strip of land cleared and controlled by Israel along Gaza's border with Egypt.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, during which militants seized 251 hostages.

Ninety-six of them are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.

The attack resulted in 1,208 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 45,361 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
-AFP