A Hamas official said no progress had been made in ceasefire talks with Israel. Some 38,000 people have been killed in the conflict since October.
The chances of seeing peace return to Gaza have once again become more remote. A senior Hamas official said no progress had been made in ceasefire talks with Israel.
Speaking at a press conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, Osama Hamdan said the group was ready to “treat positively” any proposal for a ceasefire that would end the fighting.
The efforts of Arab mediators, supported by the United States, have failed to achieve a definitive cessation of hostilities, with Hamas and Israel blaming each other for the lack of progress.
Hamas says any agreement must include the total withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, but Israel has only accepted in principle temporary breaks in fighting until Hamas is completely eradicated.
Mr. Hamdan also placed some of the blame on Washington, accusing officials there of pressuring the group to accept Israel’s terms.
“Once again, Hamas is ready to accept any proposal guaranteeing a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a serious exchange agreement”did he declare.
New evacuations
Meanwhile, other Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip have been forced to move again to escape the ongoing Israeli operation in the area between Rafah and Khan Younis.
It is the latest evacuation in an area that has suffered an Israeli incursion since the beginning of May, forcing almost all Palestinians who had taken refuge in Rafah to flee the area.
Over the weekend, Palestinians who could afford it piled their belongings into donkey-pulled trucks and set off toward the central Gaza Strip.
They explained that they had evacuated their shelters under Israeli fire overnight and were returning to collect their belongings before fleeing the city.
“We came out under bullets and gunfire during the night. Our children were scattered. We don’t know where they are. Where should we go?” asked Imad Asfour, a displaced Palestinian from eastern Khan Yunis.
Ghada Qudeh, another displaced Palestinian who sought refuge in Rafah after fleeing the southern town of Khan Younis, said Israeli forces fired missiles at a house where she and her family were sheltering on Thursday.
“We don’t know where we can go”she said. “Since yesterday we haven’t found any food or drink. We just want a solution.”
The Israeli military says two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 318.
More than eight months after the start of the military operation, militants continue to stage attacks against Israeli forces, operating in areas that the Israeli military claims it controlled several months ago.
The Gaza Health Ministry says 40 Palestinians have been killed and 224 injured in the past 24 hours.
The initial Israeli operation in Rafah, which officials in Washington insisted was “limited”, caused about 1.3 million Palestinians to flee, according to United Nations estimates.
Israel says it needs to operate in the area to defeat Hamas’ remaining battalions.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Israeli government launched its military operation in Gaza in response to a Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7, which left around 1,200 people dead and more than 250 hostages.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry says nearly 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military operation began in October, but it does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its tally.
