Israel, according to the official, insists on refusing the release of about 200 prisoners with life sentences except under its conditions.
The Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas will not send a delegation to Cairo to discuss a possible ceasefire agreement without explicit Israeli approval, a top official told Al-Mayadeen.
“Our primary condition now is to obtain an official, public, and explicit approval from Israel for the previous agreement. Without this, we cannot engage in further discussions,” the official was quoted as saying-
The Hamas officially reportedly emphasized that Hamas refuses to restart negotiations from the beginning, having already agreed to the previous terms.
Israel, according to the official, insists on refusing the release of about 200 prisoners with life sentences except under its conditions.
The leader also expressed surprise at the US administration’s insistence on an agreement without Israeli consent, stating, “We will not consider any proposal unless Israel approves it first.”
Likud Meetings
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began efforts to persuade ministers and lawmakers from his Likud Party who oppose the ceasefiRe proposal announced by US President Joe Biden on Friday, Anadolu news agency reported, citing the Israeli public broadcaster KAN.
The Israeli broadcaster reportedly stated that Netanyahu’s actions are in response to threats from National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to bring down the government if he agrees to Biden’s proposal.
‘A Non-Starter’ – Netanyahu Says No Gaza Ceasefire until Hamas ‘Destroyed’
KAN highlighted that Netanyahu’s discussions with party members reveal concerns about the stability of the ruling coalition with Ben-Gvir and Smotrich.
As of Tuesday, Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf, leader of the United Torah Judaism Party, along with some Likud ministers, expressed support for the ceasefire proposal. Goldknopf stated he supports any proposal that leads to the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also urged Netanyahu to accept Biden’s cease-fire proposal, offering Netanyahu a political safety net to reach the agreement.
‘Whitewashing the Deal’
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has accused Netanyahu on Monday of concealing the full details of the latest hostage deal proposal.
Addressing reporters at the Israeli parliament (Knesset), Ben-Gvir said that Netanyahu confirmed that the actual proposal is different from the version presented by Biden and that “there will be no reckless deal and an end to the war without the collapse of Hamas.”
Netanyahu, however, reportedly refused to fully disclose the contents of the outline announced by Biden.
“I asked him if I could look at the draft of the agreement, and he agreed and said that I could come to his office so that I could see the draft with my own eyes,” Ben Gvir said, adding that when he arrived on Sunday, the prime minister’s assistants told him that “there is no draft.”
“This morning I also went to the Prime Minister’s Office, and there, once again, they refused to present the draft agreement to me,” he said.
“If the deal is not reckless and does not include a commitment to end the war for Hamas’s collapse, why do you refuse to present it to me?” Ben-Gvir wondered, accusing Netanyahu of “whitewashing” the outline.
“If you sign a reckless deal that will bring an end to the war without the collapse of Hamas, Otzma Yehudit will dissolve the government,” he stated.
Biden’s Proposal
Biden said on Friday that Israel proposed a deal including an initial six-week truce with partial Israeli military withdrawal and the release of some captives while both sides negotiated a “permanent end to hostilities.”
However, Netanyahu’s statement on Saturday dismissed any notion that Israel would agree to a permanent ceasefire before “the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities,” calling it “a non-starter.”
Israel’s Far-Right Ultimatum – Government Faces Collapse over Gaza Ceasefire
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid urged Netanyahu to agree to a prisoner exchange deal, pledging his party’s support even if right-wing factions in the coalition rebelled, suggesting a deal would likely pass in parliament.
“The government of Israel cannot ignore President Biden’s consequential speech. There is a deal on the table and it should be made,” Lapid said in a social media post on Saturday.
Israel’s Rejection
On May 6, Hamas politburo chief, Ismail Haniyeh informed the negotiators that Hamas had announced its acceptance of a ceasefire proposal for the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hamas later said that the necessary measures “to ensure the implementation of the agreement were also reviewed after the movement made its decision out of concern for our people and their supreme interests.”
“It is now on the occupation to seize the moment and agree to the proposal presented,” the statement added.
However, Israel rejected the deal and decided instead to go ahead with the invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 36,550 Palestinians have been killed, and 82,959 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
