By Jana Choukeir, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Maytaal Angel
DUBAI/CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday over their failure to conclude a ceasefire settlement regardless of progress reported by either side in previous days.
Hamas mentioned that Israel had laid down additional situations, whereas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the group of going again on understandings already reached.
“The occupation has set new conditions related to withdrawal, ceasefire, prisoners, and the return of the displaced, which has delayed reaching the agreement that was available,” Hamas mentioned.
It added that it was displaying flexibility and that the talks, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, had been severe.
Netanyahu countered in an announcement: “The Hamas terrorist organization continues to lie, is reneging on understandings that have already been reached, and is continuing to create difficulties in the negotiations.”
Israel will, nevertheless, proceed relentless efforts to return hostages, he added.
Israeli negotiators returned to Israel from Qatar on Tuesday night for consultations a few hostage deal after a major week of talks, Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned on Tuesday.
The U.S. and Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt have stepped up efforts to conclude a phased deal up to now two weeks. One of many challenges has been agreements on Israeli troop deployments.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, talking with commanders in southern Gaza, mentioned on Wednesday that Israel will retain safety management of the enclave, together with via buffer zones and controlling posts.
Hamas is demanding an finish to the warfare, whereas Israel says it desires to finish Hamas’ rule of the enclave first, to make sure it is going to not pose a menace to Israelis.
ISRAEL KEEPS UP MILITARY PRESSURE
In the meantime Israeli forces stored up stress on the northern Gaza Strip, in one of the punishing campaigns of the 14-month warfare, together with round three hospitals on the northern fringe of the enclave, in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia.
Palestinians accuse Israel of in search of to completely depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone. Israel denies this and says it has instructed civilians to go away these areas for their very own security whereas its troops battle Hamas militants.
Israeli strikes killed no less than 24 individuals throughout Gaza on Wednesday, well being officers mentioned. One strike hit a former faculty sheltering displaced households in Gaza Metropolis’s suburb of Sheikh Radwan, they added.
The Israeli army mentioned it struck a Hamas militant working within the space of Al-Furqan in Gaza Metropolis.
A number of Palestinians had been killed and wounded within the Al-Mawasi space, an Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, the place the army mentioned it was concentrating on one other Hamas operative.
The warfare was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel, wherein 1,200 individuals had been killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza, in line with Israeli tallies.
Israel’s marketing campaign towards Hamas in Gaza has since killed greater than 45,300 Palestinians, in line with well being officers within the Hamas-run enclave. A lot of the inhabitants of two.3 million has been displaced and far of Gaza is in ruins.
(This story has been corrected to alter the day to Wednesday in paragraph 9)
