The Palestinian group that governs Gaza says the Israeli government is not engaging in negotiations for phase 2 of the deal due to end on March 1.
Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging the Gaza ceasefire agreement, saying the Israeli government is not engaging in negotiations for the second phase of the deal due to end on March 1.
Details of the second and third phases of the agreement, though understood to be agreed to in principle, were supposed to be negotiated during the six-week first phase, which has seen the release of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and delivery of aid into the enclave devastated by the 15 months of non-stop Israeli bombardment.
Per the deal, which started on January 19, the second phase, if finalised, would see the release of all the Israeli captives and a permanent ceasefire.
He said that the Palestinian group that governs Gaza remains committed to the agreement, and has abided by its obligations under the deal.
He accused Israel of violating the terms of the deal. “Over 100 Palestinians have been killed in the first phase, much of the agreed humanitarian aid was not allowed into Gaza, and the withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor [the militarised zone that divides Gaza into north and south] was postponed,” Naim said.
Earlier this month, Israeli officials confirmed to The New York Times that Hamas’s claims against Israel’s violations of the deal were accurate.
But the Israeli government has officially denied them.
As part of the ceasefire agreement Israel had agreed to allow 60,000 mobile homes and 200,000 tents into Gaza, but that requirement has not been met.
More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million Palestinians have been displaced and large swaths of the enclave have been turned into rubble.
Israel has killed more than 48,319 Palestinians since it launched its offensive on October 7, 2023.
The Government Media Office in Gaza says more than 13,000 people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
At least 1,139 people were killed and some 240 people were taken captive in the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war on Gaza and has said he is “committed” to a United States proposal to “take over” the enclave and displace its Palestinian residents.
Trump now appears to have backed away from that plan.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly said that he is committed to fulfilling the aims of the war in Gaza, including destroying Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in the region.
His cabinet is also yet to vote on whether the conditions for the first phase of the Gaza truce deal have been met to transition to the second phase.
