By Mohammed Majed
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian Hamas movement said Saturday that there is no real development in negotiations to halt the ongoing offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has persisted for nine consecutive months.
Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan stated: “There is no real progress in negotiations to halt the aggression against the Gaza Strip.”
“What is being conveyed by the US administration comes in the context of exerting various pressures on the movement to accept the Israeli proposal unchanged, in an attempt to beautify the ugly image of the administration,” Hamdan added.
Hamas “is ready to positively engage with any formula that primarily ensures a permanent cease-fire and withdrawal from Gaza, and a genuine prisoner exchange deal,” continued the official.
He pointed out that Hamas “regrets the stance of the US administration, which insists on holding the movement responsible for obstructing an agreement, despite Hamas welcoming President Joe Biden's speech, which affirmed a permanent cease-fire, complete withdrawal, reconstruction, and exchange. Hamas also welcomed the Security Council's decision.”
On May 31, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.
More than 37,800 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 86,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala