[News] Hamas confirms 'no talks underway' on Gaza ceasefire as phase one ends

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Hamas confirms 'no talks underway' on Gaza ceasefire as phase one ends

Israel repeatedly delayed the start of talks for phase two of the ceasefire
and is pushing to 'extend' phase one by an additional six weeks

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

MAR 1, 2025 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/hamas-confirms-no-talks-underway-on-gaza-ceasefire-as-phase-one-ends
(Photo Credit: AFP)

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced on 1 March that it had
rejected Israel's proposal to extend
<https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-pushes-for-six-week-extension-of-gaza-ceasefires-phase-one>
the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza and confirmed that “no
negotiations” are taking place regarding phase two.

“There are no negotiations with the movement regarding the second phase.
The occupation bears the responsibility for not starting negotiations on
the second phase of the Gaza agreement," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told
Al-Arabi TV.

He also accused Tel Aviv of wanting to extend the first phase of the
ceasefire to secure the release of more captives and then resume its ethnic
cleansing campaign in Gaza. “The occupation is trying to return things to
square one by shuffling the cards,” Qassem said, stressing that ”the
formula proposed by the occupation is unacceptable to us.”

On Friday, Hamas said it “reaffirms its full commitment to implementing all
terms of the agreement in all its stages and details” and called on the
international community to pressure Israel to “immediately proceed to the
second phase without any delay or evasion.”

During the first phase of the deal, which officially ended on Saturday, the
Israeli government refused to allow adequate mobile homes and tents into
Gaza, causing at least eight children to freeze to death. Tel Aviv also
banned the entry of earthmoving equipment needed to remove the rubble from
the roads and buildings.

“Ramadan has come this year, and we are on the streets with no shelter, no
work, no money, nothing. My eight children and I are homeless. We live on
Jabalia camp's streets with nothing but Allah's mercy," Ali Rajih, a
resident of Jabalia in North Gaza, told *Al Jazeera*.

According to the terms of the US-sponsored ceasefire deal, phase two of the
ceasefire includes Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza and the release
of the remaining Israeli captives.

During the first phase, Hamas released 33 Israeli captives, including eight
dead, while Israel freed around 1,700 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel recently imposed new conditions on the ceasefire
<https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-wants-full-hamas-disarmament-buffer-zones-in-gaza-during-phase-two-of-ceasefire-talks-report>agreement,
demanding full disarmament of Hamas’s military wing and demands to maintain
<https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-stomps-on-gaza-ceasefire-deal-refuses-withdrawal-from-philadelphi-corridor>
its military presence along the Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza’s border with
Egypt.

A recent report by *Haaretz* revealed that “as far as [Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is concerned, there is no second stage” of the
deal.

The report says Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer recently
told US special envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff that Netanyahu’s plan is
"to return to intense warfare” and reimplement a “version” of the Generals’
Plan – which saw the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
from north Gaza, the killing of thousands, and the destruction of the Gaza
health sector.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20250301/ece952b9/attachment.htm>