Gaza
\nHamas has formally rejected Israel\u2019s latest ceasefire proposal, saying it will not accept a \u201cpartial\u201d deal that does not guarantee an end to the war or a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
\nHamas\u2019s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, accused Israel\u2019s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of putting forward an offer that \u201cset impossible conditions for a deal that does not lead to the end of the war or full withdrawal\u201d.
\nThere 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.
\nIn Israel\u2019s 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.
\nFor the first time, Israel had demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas as part of the deal \u2013 which the militant group has said is a red line. Hayya said it was their \u201cnatural right\u201d to possess weapons.
\nIn a video statement, Hayya said that Hamas was no longer willing to accept \u201cpartial agreements as a cover for their political agenda, which is based on continuing the war of extermination and starvation\u201d.
\nHe said that Hamas was ready to agree to a \u201ccomprehensive package\u201d 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 \u201cmust completely end the war against our people and fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip\u201d.
\nThis week, Israel\u2019s defence minister, Israel Katz, had made it clear that Israeli troops intended to remain in \u201csecurity buffer zones\u201d it had established in Gaza since the ceasefire with Hamas collapsed in March.
\nIn 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.
\nAfter Hamas\u2019s rejection of the deal, Netanyahu\u2019s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said it was time to \u201copen the gates of hell\u201d on Gaza. Earlier this week, Katz had pledged to escalate the conflict with \u201ctremendous force\u201d if Hamas did not return the hostages.
\nAttempts 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.
\nAid 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.
\nThere are also fears for the lives of the remaining living hostages as Israel continues its airstrikes on Gaza. This week, a spokesperson for Hamas\u2019s armed wing said it had lost contact with the group holding the Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander after a \u201cdirect strike\u201d on his location.
\nThe White House criticised Hamas for its rejection of the deal offered by Israel.
\n\u201cHamas\u2019s comments demonstrate they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence,\u201d said the US national security council spokesperson James Hewitt. \u201cThe terms made by the Trump administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Gaza Hamas has formally rejected Israel\u2019s latest ceasefire proposal, saying it will not accept a \u201cpartial\u201d deal that does not guarantee an end to the war or a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas\u2019s chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, accused Israel\u2019s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, of putting forward an offer that \u201cset impossible conditions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-473388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n