Sources in the Hamas movement told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks on a ceasefire in Gaza “have not collapsed,” but were almost suspended, due to the recent developments.
The movement’s statement came as Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said on Wednesday that talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of detainees were going through a sensitive phase and were witnessing some obstacles.
Al Thani’s statement confirmed the failure of the last round of negotiations, after Hamas stuck to its positions regarding the need for Israel to stop the war, withdraw its forces, and allow the return of the displaced.
Hamas issued a statement, on Wednesday, on the occasion of the Palestinians’ commemoration of “Prisoner’s Day,” saying: “The goal of liberating our prisoners is at the heart of the ongoing (Al-Aqsa Flood) battle, and will remain our top priority. The movement will spare no effort to achieve a deal for them.”
The Hamas movement adhered to its declared positions to reach a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip, in its latest response to a new proposal put forward by the mediators.
It stipulated that the release of Israeli detainees in the first phase of the deal be conditional on the negotiators providing guarantees that Israel agrees in the second phase to a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, and the return of the Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip without hindrance.
