Military Operation Begins, Hamas Says Israel And Netanyahu Ignore Efforts To Reach Peace Agreement

JAKARTA - Palestinian militant group Hamas assesses Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ignored efforts to reach a peace agreement, as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced the start of military operations to control Gaza City.

In a statement on Telegram Hamas accused PM Netanyahu of blocking a ceasefire agreement to continue "the brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City."

"Netanyahu's appeal to the mediators' proposal proves he is a true obstacle to any deal," the group wrote.

Earlier, the Israeli military announced the first step of operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday, deploying tens of thousands of reserve troops while the government is considering a new ceasefire proposal to halt the war that has lasted nearly two years.

"We have started the initial and first phase of the attack on Gaza City, and currently IDF forces have taken control of the outskirts of Gaza," said Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin.

Hamas said Israel's military plan to conquer Gaza City showed "discrete appeal" to efforts to mediate a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages in a conflict that has lasted nearly two years.

"An announcement by terrorist occupation soldiers about the start of operations against Gaza City and its nearly 1 million residents and refugees has made a blatant disregard for the efforts made by the mediators," Hamas quoted The Times of Israel as saying by AFP.

Israel's security cabinet, chaired by PM Netanyahu, approved plans to expand operations in Gaza with the aim of capturing Gaza City this month, where Israeli forces launched a fierce city war with Hamas in the early stages of war. Israel currently controls about 75 Gaza Strip regions.

Many of Israel's closest allies have urged the government to reconsider, but PM Netanyahu is under pressure from some of its coalition's far-right members to reject a temporary ceasefire, continue the war, and seek annexation of the region.

Earlier this week, the Hamas group was reported to have approved a ceasefire proposal. An Egyptian official source stated that the proposal received by Hamas included the suspension of Israeli military operations for 60 days, the release of hostage shoes still in Gaza, as well as outlining a framework for a comprehensive deal to end the conflict that has lasted nearly two years.

In response, Israel is studying Hamas' response to its 60-day ceasefire proposal and the release of half of the hostages still detained in Gaza, two state officials said on Tuesday, while another source reiterated that all hostages must be released to end the war.

Yesterday, Hamas said the main amendment proposed for the latest draft of the ceasefire agreement was the withdrawal of Israeli troops up to 800 meters from residential areas in the Gaza Strip.

Separately, as of Wednesday the death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached 62,122, the majority of women and children, while 156,759 others have been injured since the start of Israeli aggression in October 2023, according to medical sources, quoted from WAFA.

Meanwhile, hospitals in the Gaza Strip recorded three additional deaths from hunger and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 269, including 112 children.