[News] ‘No Israeli withdrawal, no ceasefire deal’: Hamas

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 ‘No Israeli withdrawal, no ceasefire deal’: Hamas

A new US-backed ‘bridging proposal’ has failed to address the resistance’s
main terms for a Gaza ceasefire

News Desk <https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9>

AUG 22, 2024 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/no-israeli-withdrawal-no-ceasefire-deal-hamas
(Photo credit: Reuters)

Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement released a joint
statement
<https://sarabic.ae/20240822/%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B3-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%85%D8%B9-%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-1091984825.html>
on 22 August, confirming that the resistance will reject any agreement that
does not include an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

The joint statement was issued following a meeting between PIJ
Secretary-General Ziad Nakhala and Hamas Shura Council head Mohammad
Darwish in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

The statement stressed the “necessity of stopping the aggression and war to
which the Palestinian people are being subjected and punishing the leaders
of the occupation for the crimes they are committing against humanity.”

“The position of the resistance and the Palestinian people on achieving any
agreement is a comprehensive cessation of aggression, a complete withdrawal
from the Strip, the start of reconstruction, and the end of the siege with
a serious exchange deal,” the joint statement added.

It also held “the occupation leaders responsible for aborting the efforts
undertaken by the mediators through their insistence on continuing the
aggression and denying what was done in previous stages, especially the
proposal approved by the movement [Hamas] on 2 July.”

Additionally, the Hamas and PIJ statement renewed the call for the
immediate delivery of sufficient amounts of humanitarian aid to the people
of Gaza, warning of the “consequences of the continued collective
punishment” by Israel.

The statement comes as a new round of ceasefire talks
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-bridge-too-far-blinkens-desperate-bid-for-a-hostage-ceasefire-deal/>
– unattended by Hamas – are expected to kick off in the coming days.

The meetings were initially scheduled for Wednesday in the Egyptian capital
but were delayed to an unspecified date.

“The high-level Cairo meeting regarding the negotiations will be held on
Saturday or Sunday. The negotiating team is working around the clock to
bridge the gap, including the Philadelphi file with Egypt,” an Israeli
official told *Yedioth Ahronoth* on Thursday.

Hamas has rejected a new US-backed proposa
<https://thecradle.co/articles/hamas-calls-out-us-bridging-proposal-for-gaza-ceasefire-not-what-we-agreed-to>l
– which Washington says Israel has agreed to – for failing to address the
group’s demands for a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces
from Gaza, and several other issues.

It is unclear precisely what is in the new proposal. A Hamas official told
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/26478> *Al-Sharq* on 20 August that the
proposal does not include an Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi
Corridor on the Gaza-Egypt border, as Hamas’ terms stipulate.

Netanyahu himself confirmed on 20 August that Israel would refuse any
withdrawal from the Gaza–Egypt border.

The source also said the proposal demands a screening mechanism to inspect
displaced Gazans who would return to the northern strip as part of an
agreement – one of the many Israeli conditions complicating recent
negotiations.

It also does not guarantee a permanent ceasefire. The US proposal states
that “a permanent ceasefire will be discussed in the second phase within a
specific limit, and if Hamas does not agree to the Israeli demands, the
army will return to the war and carry out its military operations,”
according to the source.
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