▲ A Palestinian family flees a makeshift displacement camp in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip, after Israeli tanks took up positions on an adjacent hill.Afp Photo
Ap, Afp, Reuters, Europa Press, Xinhua and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Monday, August 19, 2024, p. 29
Deir Al Balah, As Israeli bombardments in Gaza continue, killing at least 29 people, including a woman and her six children, Hamas denounced yesterday that the new ceasefire proposal in the strip contains conditions from Israel that hinder an agreement and nullify the efforts of mediators and the United Nations (UN).
He also denied that a deal was close and rejected the dictations from Washington, which he accused of giving absolute support to the Tel Aviv rapes.
“The six children have become pieces of bodies. They were put in one bag,” said Mohammed Awad Khatab, grandfather of the murdered children. “What did they do? Did they kill some Jews? Will this give Israel security?”
The youngest was 18 months old and his siblings were 10-year-old quintuplets.
Israel claims it only directs its attacks against militiamen and blames Hamas for the deaths of civilians because the armed group hides fighters, weapons, tunnels and rockets in residential areasBut Israeli bombings have wiped out entire families.
The Tel Aviv offensive has killed 40,099 people and wounded 92,609 since Oct. 7, the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to advance negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, but before that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the international community to direct pressure towards Hamas to reach a truce and announced that it will be inflexible in certain aspects of the peace negotiations.
Netanyahu’s office said it was “conducting negotiations, not conceding.”
There are things we can be flexible on and (…) things we cannot be flexible on, which we will insist on.Netanyahu said, adding: Strong military and diplomatic pressure is the way to ensure the release of our hostages.
For Hamas, the new proposal is in line with the Israeli prime minister’s demands, including maintaining control over the Netzarim, Rafah and Philadelphia corridors and setting new conditions for the exchange of prisoners, but also the rejection of a ceasefire that would end the war (Israel only accepts a pause in the fighting), all of which the Palestinian organisation considers an obstacle to the agreement.
The group reiterated its commitment to the points agreed on July 2 based on a proposal by US President Joe Biden and a UN Security Council resolution, and urged Egyptian and Qatari mediators to implement the agreed terms.
Hamas accused Netanyahu of be fully responsible of the failure of mediators, of obstructing an agreement and of putting Israeli hostages at risk by continue its aggressive actions against Gaza.
Talks will continue this week in Cairo, following a two-day meeting in Doha.