Hamas deems the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal, which calls for the Palestinian group to disarm, as crossing “a million red lines.”
Negotiations for a new ceasefire and the termination of the war in Gaza appear to be at a deadlock after Israel presented additional requirements for Hamas to surrender its arms in its most recent proposal, which only offers a temporary pause in attacks on the Palestinian territory, where the death toll is nearing 51,000.
Israel submitted its latest proposal to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Monday, offering a 45-day temporary ceasefire in exchange for Hamas releasing the 11 Israeli captives still held in Gaza.
Hamas stated in a declaration that it would assess the latest Israeli proposal and respond “as soon as possible.”
Before the release of the official statement, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri informed Al Jazeera that Hamas would not accept any demand to disarm, stating, “as long as the occupation continues, the resistance will persist.”
“The demand for Hamas to disarm is utterly unthinkable. It is not just a red line; it is a million red lines,” Abu Zuhri declared. “Everyone should understand that this is an illusion – merely a pipe dream. It cannot be accomplished.”
Hamas has insisted that Israel commit to ending the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza. In return, it has proposed to hand over all remaining captives “in one batch.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh indicated that the demand for Hamas to disarm was unlikely to succeed, especially after Israel publicly planned to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza.
“While Palestinians are listening to Israel discussing the ethnic cleansing of the enclave’s Palestinian population, and creating a department in the Ministry of Defence to achieve that goal, it is hard to see any Palestinian group laying down arms without a clear political future,” Odeh stated.
“Currently, Hamas is stating that disarmament is a red line, and there can be no discussion about it without talking about an end to the war.”
The recent round of talks in Cairo concluded on Monday without apparent progress toward permanently ending the war, which intensified after Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza on March 18 following an agreement with Hamas reached in late January.
Since the resumption of the war, Israel has killed over 1,500 Palestinians according to Gaza health authorities. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 50,983 Palestinians have been confirmed dead, and 116,274 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced again since Israel restarted its campaign and imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, pushing the territory into a state of siege and starvation.
Israel submitted its latest proposal to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on Monday, offering a 45-day temporary ceasefire in exchange for Hamas releasing the 11 Israeli captives still held in Gaza.
Hamas stated in a declaration that it would assess the latest Israeli proposal and respond “as soon as possible.”
Before the release of the official statement, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri informed Al Jazeera that Hamas would not accept any demand to disarm, stating, “as long as the occupation continues, the resistance will persist.”
“The demand for Hamas to disarm is utterly unthinkable. It is not just a red line; it is a million red lines,” Abu Zuhri declared. “Everyone should understand that this is an illusion – merely a pipe dream. It cannot be accomplished.”
Hamas has insisted that Israel commit to ending the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza. In return, it has proposed to hand over all remaining captives “in one batch.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Nour Odeh indicated that the demand for Hamas to disarm was unlikely to succeed, especially after Israel publicly planned to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza.
“While Palestinians are listening to Israel discussing the ethnic cleansing of the enclave’s Palestinian population, and creating a department in the Ministry of Defence to achieve that goal, it is hard to see any Palestinian group laying down arms without a clear political future,” Odeh stated.
“Currently, Hamas is stating that disarmament is a red line, and there can be no discussion about it without talking about an end to the war.”
The recent round of talks in Cairo concluded on Monday without apparent progress toward permanently ending the war, which intensified after Israel broke the ceasefire in Gaza on March 18 following an agreement with Hamas reached in late January.
Since the resumption of the war, Israel has killed over 1,500 Palestinians according to Gaza health authorities. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 50,983 Palestinians have been confirmed dead, and 116,274 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced again since Israel restarted its campaign and imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, pushing the territory into a state of siege and starvation.
