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Hamas Says Netanyahu Trying to 'Thwart' Gaza Truce

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference for the international media at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, 04 September 2024. EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA POOL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference for the international media at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, 04 September 2024. EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA POOL
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Hamas Says Netanyahu Trying to 'Thwart' Gaza Truce

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference for the international media at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, 04 September 2024. EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA POOL
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference for the international media at the Government Press office in Jerusalem, 04 September 2024. EPA/ABIR SULTAN EPA POOL

Hamas on Thursday accused Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to "thwart" a Gaza truce deal, after the Israeli premier said the Palestinian group has "rejected everything" in negotiations.
The blame trading comes as Netanyahu faces pressure to seal a deal that would free remaining hostages, after Israeli authorities announced on Sunday the deaths of six whose bodies were recovered from a Gaza tunnel, said AFP.
"We're trying to find some area to begin the negotiations," Netanyahu said Wednesday.
"They (Hamas) refuse to do that... (They said) there's nothing to talk about."
Netanyahu maintains that Israel must retain control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas, whose October 7 attack on Israel started the war.
Hamas is demanding complete Israeli withdrawal from the area and on Thursday said Netanyahu's insistence on the border zone "aims to thwart reaching an agreement."
The Palestinian group says a new deal is unnecessary because they agreed months ago to a truce outlined by US President Joe Biden.
"We do not need new proposals," the group said on Telegram.
"We warn against falling into the trap of Netanyahu and his tricks, who uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people," the Hamas statement added.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington thinks "there are ways to address" the impasse.
'Not in coffins'
At Israeli protests in several cities this week, Netanyahu's critics have blamed him for hostages' deaths, saying he has refused to make necessary concessions for striking a ceasefire deal.
"We are just waiting for them to come back to us, to come back alive and not in coffins," said Anet Kidron, whose community of Kibbutz Beeri was attacked on October 7.
Key mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that Israel's approach was "based on an attempt to falsify facts and mislead world public opinion by repeating lies".
Such moves "will ultimately lead to the demise of peace efforts," Qatar's foreign ministry said.
The October 7 attack by Hamas resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians including some hostages killed in captivity, according to official Israeli figures.
Of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the attack, 97 remain in Gaza including 33 the Israeli military says are dead. Scores were released during a one-week truce in November.
Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 40,861 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Most of the dead are women and children, according to the UN rights office.
Widespread Israeli bombardment overnight into Thursday included a strike which killed four people sheltering in tents near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, a medical source told AFP.
The military said it hit a "command and control center" used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in Deir al-Balah.
In a separate strike in the southern Al-Mawasi area, a missile killed one and wounded several others, Palestinian Red Crescent Society medics said.
'Blowing everything up'
While Israel presses its Gaza offensive, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military should use its "full strength" against Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank.
"These terrorist organizations that have various names, whether in Nur al-Shams, Tulkarem, Faraa or Jenin, must be wiped out," he said, referring to cities and refugee camps where an Israeli military operation is currently underway.
The Israeli military said Thursday its aircraft "conducted three targeted strikes on armed terrorists" in the Tubas area, which includes Faraa refugee camp.
A strike on a car killed five men aged 21 to 30 and wounded two others, the territory's health ministry said.
Eyewitnesses told AFP they saw a large number of Israeli troops storming Faraa camp, where explosions were heard.
The Red Crescent said the Israeli military handed over the dead body of a 17-year-old in Faraa camp, after medics were prevented from reaching him when he was wounded.
Israel has killed at least 35 Palestinians across the northern West Bank since its assault there started on August 28, according to figures released by the health ministry, including children and militants.
One Israeli soldier was killed in Jenin, where the majority of the Palestinian fatalities have been.
"Panic spread as the army was blowing up everything around without taking into consideration that there were children," Hanan Natour, a resident of Jenin refugee camp, told AFP on Wednesday.
Israeli troops have destroyed infrastructure in Jenin and elsewhere in the West Bank, with the United Nations reporting the military restricting hospital access and using "war-like tactics".
Polio vaccination drive
Israel's bombardment of Gaza has left the territory in ruins, with the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure blamed for the spread of disease.
The humanitarian crisis has led to Gaza's first polio case in 25 years, prompting a massive vaccination effort launched Sunday with localized "humanitarian pauses" in fighting.
Nearly 200,000 children in central Gaza have received a first dose, the World Health Organization said, with a second stage set to get underway Thursday in the south before medics move north.
The campaign aims to fully vaccinate more than 640,000 children, with second doses due in about four weeks.

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Arab World

Egypt Outraged Over Israeli Push to Move Palestinians to Border

Egyptian army chief visits near Israeli border late last year – military spokesman
Egyptian army chief visits near Israeli border late last year – military spokesman
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Egypt Outraged Over Israeli Push to Move Palestinians to Border

Egyptian army chief visits near Israeli border late last year – military spokesman
Egyptian army chief visits near Israeli border late last year – military spokesman

Egypt has strongly condemned what it sees as Israeli policies aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians towards its borders, warning such actions pose a direct threat to its national security, an informed Egyptian source told Asharq al-Awsat.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Israel’s handling of the Gaza conflict indicates a lack of seriousness in reaching a ceasefire agreement or engaging in meaningful efforts to resolve the crisis.

“Cairo is alarmed by attempts to push Palestinians toward Egyptian territory and set up tent encampments near the border,” the source said, calling the move “a threat to Egypt’s national security.”

The comments came as Israeli media reported that Egypt had warned Israel against expanding military operations in Rafah.

According to Israel’s Channel 7, Egypt’s security delegation involved in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks expressed strong opposition to Israel’s proposed military deployment map, citing its implications for Egyptian sovereignty and security.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported that Cairo views Israel’s plan to establish a “tent city” for displaced Palestinians near the Egypt-Gaza border as a “ticking time bomb.”

The plan, which envisions relocating hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the area, has heightened Egyptian concerns over a potential refugee crisis on its doorstep.

The Israeli channels said Egypt’s increased military presence in Sinai, particularly in Zone C, where military activity is limited under the 1979 peace treaty, was intended as a message to Israel.

Egypt may also reassess the peace agreement if Israeli actions are deemed to constitute a clear violation of the treaty.

Cairo warns of breach of peace deal

Egyptian national security and international relations expert Major General Mohamed Abdel Wahid said Egypt “categorically rejects any Israeli military presence along the Egyptian-Palestinian border,” including Israel’s control of the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah. “This is a breach of the peace treaty,” he said.

“Egypt has previously warned that the peace agreement may be at risk,” Abdel Wahid told Asharq al-Awsat.

“Cairo remains committed to the treaty, but it is clear that Israel is not respecting its obligations and is pursuing its interests at any cost.”

Abdel Wahid accused Israel of deliberately pushing Palestinians toward Egypt’s borders in preparation for a forced displacement plan, saying this would amount to an effective dismantling of the Palestinian cause, something Egypt wholly rejects.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel have reached their highest level since the current war in Gaza began, especially after Israel resumed strikes on the enclave and failed to implement a ceasefire agreement brokered primarily by Cairo. Egypt has also objected to Israel’s continued military control over the Philadelphi Corridor and its refusal to reopen border crossings.

In recent weeks, Egyptian media reported a buildup of troops and heavy weaponry in northern Sinai’s Zone C, a development analysts say signals Cairo’s growing frustration. While the move may stretch the limits of the peace deal, Egyptian sources argue it is a response to Israeli violations.

Tensions political, not military – expert

Major General Sayed Ghoneim, a fellow at the Egyptian Military Academy for Postgraduate and Strategic Studies, said the strain in Egyptian-Israeli ties remains “political and diplomatic - not military.”

“There’s a political disagreement over policies and a diplomatic rift between the two foreign ministries,” Ghoneim told Asharq al-Awsat. “But the defense ministries remain on coordinated terms, particularly in matters related to peacekeeping. Any tensions are being handled through established channels.”

Ghoneim, who also serves as a visiting professor at NATO and the Royal Military Academy in Brussels, noted that one sign of diplomatic tension is Egypt’s refusal to accredit a new Israeli ambassador since the previous envoy left. Egypt also recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv and has not sent him back.

He emphasized that while Israel’s military presence along the Egypt-Gaza border is in violation of the peace agreement and is a core reason for the current political discord, the situation has not escalated into a military confrontation.

Israeli forces seized full control of Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, in May 2024. Israel has accused Egypt of failing to stop the flow of weapons into Gaza through tunnels, an allegation Cairo denies.

The 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty prohibits the use or threat of force between the two countries and mandates peaceful resolution of disputes.

It also regulates military deployments along their shared border and established a joint military coordination committee.