Reuters, AFP, AP and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, August 17, 2024, p. 21
Gaza. Hamas yesterday rejected the new conditions presented by Israel in the negotiations in Doha for a truce in Gaza, while the American president, Joe Biden, affirmed that an agreement never been so close to be achieved after more than 10 months of war.
The conditions include keeping Israeli troops in the enclave along the border with Egypt, one of two Hamas officials said – on condition of anonymity – after two days of indirect negotiations in Doha. We will not accept anything less than a complete ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip, the return of displaced persons and a swap agreement. of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, he added.
Hamas did not participate in the negotiations that brought together senior Egyptian and Qatari officials and the heads of the American and Israeli intelligence services in Doha on Thursday and Friday, but it is in regular contact with the mediators, who yesterday sent it what they presented as a compromise proposal for the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hamas is demanding the implementation of a three-phase plan announced by Biden at the end of May. The first phase provides for a six-week truce and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from densely populated areas of Gaza, as well as an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
The compromise proposalThe White House said the deal was put forward by the United States and endorsed by Qatar and Egypt, but calls for keeping Israeli troops in Gaza along the border with Egypt, one Hamas official said.
Another source told AFP that Hamas is also opposed to giving Israel the right to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners and the possibility of preventing those released from returning to Gaza.
Talks will resume in Cairo, the White House said. On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to finalize a deal.Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said Washington is trying to create a false positive atmosphere with no intention of ending the war, but only of gaining time.
Hamas also warned that Israel has been trying for 20 years to get the United States involved in a fight against Iran, which it hopes to achieve now, the Palestinian movement’s foreign relations chief Basem Naim told reporters. NewsweekIsraeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he expects allies France and Britain, led by the United States, to support the defense and also an attack if Tehran attacks.
Hezbollah has also released a video showing underground tunnels and missile launchers, raising concerns of an escalation in the conflict.
Bombing of Lebanon
At least eight Lebanese civilians were killed and four others wounded, including several children, early Saturday morning local time in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, in the Wadi al-Kfour area, in Nabatieh governorate, reported the Lebanese television channel Al Manar, linked to Hezbollah.