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23 hours ago
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Hamas has formally rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, saying it will not accept a “partial” deal that does not guarantee an end to the war or a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
Hamas’s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, accused Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of putting forward an offer that “set impossible conditions for a deal that does not lead to the end of the war or full withdrawal”.
There are 58 hostages held in Gaza who were captured by Hamas after the 7 October attack on southern Israel in 2023, with 24 still believed to be alive.
In Israel’s most recent offer to Hamas, they had proposed the initial release of 10 hostages in return for a 45-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners, with the promise of further discussion of ending the war and restoring aid to Gaza.
For the first time, Israel had demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas as part of the deal – which the militant group has said is a red line. Hayya said it was their “natural right” to possess weapons.
In a video statement, Hayya said that Hamas was no longer willing to accept “partial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation”.
He said that Hamas was ready to agree to a “comprehensive package” that ensured the release of all the hostages, in return for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. A key condition, he added, was that Israel “must completely end the war against our people and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip”.
This week, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, had made it clear that Israeli troops intended to remain in “security buffer zones” it had established in Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in March.
In recent weeks, Israeli troops have taken control of about 30% of Gaza, including parts of Rafah. More than 1,600 people in Gaza have been killed since the ceasefire collapsed, with 15 people, including 10 people from the same family, killed in airstrikes overnight.
After Hamas’s rejection of the deal, Netanyahu’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said it was time to “open the gates of hell” on Gaza. Earlier this week, Katz had pledged to escalate the conflict with “tremendous force” if Hamas did not return the hostages.
Attempts by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US to restore the ceasefire and bring home the hostages have hit major stumbling blocks, and no progress was made in the latest round of talks in Cairo this week, according to officials.
Aid supplies including food, water and fuel have been blocked from entering Gaza since 2 March. Hamas has accused Israel of using mass starvation as a weapon, which they say is a war crime.
There are also fears for the lives of the remaining living hostages as Israel continues its airstrikes on Gaza. This week, a spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing said it had lost contact with the group holding the Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander after a “direct strike” on his location.
The White House criticised Hamas for its rejection of the deal offered by Israel.
“Hamas’s comments demonstrate they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence,” said the US national security council spokesperson James Hewitt. “The terms made by the Trump administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell.”
