Hamas Sets Requirements For Gaza's Armistice Agreement With Israel

The condition of Gaza's children in the evacuation/DOK UNRWA

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Hamas group and the Islamic Jihad movement affirmed the requirements for any agreement with Israel, including the halt to the Gaza war, Israel's full withdrawal, reconstruction, termination of the blockade, and a serious agreement for the prisoner swap.

As reported by Antara from Anadolu, the requirements were outlined in a statement released by Hamas on Wednesday (21/8) after a meeting attended by the Head of the Shura Council Hamas Mohamed Ismail Darwish, Secretary General of Islamic Jihad Ziad al-Nakhala and his deputy Mohamed Hindi at the undisclosed meeting location.

According to the statement, the two groups stressed the need to ensure the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, regardless of the outcome of negotiations regarding the end of the war.

The meeting underscores the need to stop Israeli aggression and war in Gaza, punish the occupational leaders for crimes against humanity, as well as review field developments and the resilience of resistance capabilities to attack entire occupied Palestinian territories.

Regarding the ceasefire negotiations, the participants reviewed the progress of indirect negotiations and the attitude of blocking the occupation power that hindered the mediator's efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner swap.

The statement stressed that any agreement must include a complete cessation of aggression, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces in the region, the start of reconstruction, the termination of the blockade, and a serious prisoner swap deal.

Both parties consider that the occupation leader is responsible for the failure of the mediator's efforts (Qatar and Egypt) by insisting on continuing aggression and rejecting what was agreed upon at the previous stage, especially the proposal received by Hamas on July 2.

The meeting between Hamas and Islamic Jihad took place after Israeli Chief Authority Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence not to withdraw soldiers from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt and the Netzarim Corridor separating the north and south.

Meanwhile, American President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday evening to discuss developments in negotiations.

On Tuesday, the Maariv Hebrew newspaper reported that Netanyahu told representatives of Israeli prisoners' families in Gaza that Israel would not, under any circumstances, leave the Philadelphi Corridor and the Netzarim Axis, despite great pressure to do so.

Source : Anadolu