In a press release issued today on its official website, the movement called on the international community and relevant parties to take urgent action to stop this “massacre” and to ensure immediate access to all areas of the sector without conditions, while guaranteeing the protection of this aid. It pointed out that continuing negotiations under conditions of starvation strips the talks of their substance, especially after the “occupation” withdrew from the negotiations last week without justification, despite the parties nearing an agreement.
Israel had informed mediators on Wednesday night of its position regarding Hamas’s response to the plan, expressing its rejection of Hamas’s demand to withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor and its surroundings, claiming that “this step could weaken the ability to protect southern population centers.”
Recently, negotiations and active efforts resumed to reach a potential agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. The proposed plan included a 60-day truce involving a cessation of hostilities and a partial exchange of prisoners and detainees, followed by negotiations aimed at a permanent ceasefire and ending the war.
However, US Middle East envoy Steve Weitekoff announced on July 24 that the latest round of indirect negotiations between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Israel, which were taking place in the Qatari capital Doha, had stalled. He decided to withdraw the US delegation from the Gaza negotiations for consultation, accusing Hamas of “unwillingness to reach a ceasefire in the sector.”
Israel resumed its bombing on March 18, after a pause of about two months, specifically since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect on January 19, following the failure of negotiations to extend the first phase of the agreement or move to its second phase.
