Cairo: Hamas announced on Sunday that it has rejected new Israeli conditions in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations, casting further doubt on the possibility of a breakthrough in the U.S.-backed efforts to end the 10-month-long war.
Months of intermittent negotiations have yet to produce an agreement that would halt Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza or secure the release of the remaining hostages, who were seized by Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel—the event that ignited the conflict.
Central to the stalled talks, mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, is Israel’s demand for a presence in the Philadelphi Corridor—a narrow 14.5 km-long (nine-mile) strip of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
Hamas has accused Israel of reneging on its previous commitment to withdraw troops from the Corridor and introducing new conditions, including the screening of displaced Palestinians returning to Gaza’s northern areas once the ceasefire takes effect.
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“We will not accept discussions about retractions from what we agreed to on July 2 or new conditions,” Hamas official Osama Hamdan stated on the group’s Al-Aqsa TV on Sunday.
According to a senior Hamas source, the group agreed to a U.S. proposal in July to begin negotiations on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers, 16 days after the initial phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war.
Hamdan added that Hamas has responded to the latest proposal through mediators, refuting U.S. claims of an imminent deal as false.
