A senior leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas told news agency AFP that the group will skip the official signing of the Gaza peace deal in Egypt because they disagree with certain aspects of Donald Trump’s plan. This decision leaves the future of the long-awaited agreement uncertain.
Hamas leaders called the plan’s calls for its members to evacuate the Gaza Strip “absurd,” according to a Times of Israel story.
According to India Today, Hamas political bureau member Husam Badran told reporters, “Talk about expelling Palestinians, whether they’re Hamas members or not, from their land is absurd and nonsense.” He said he expects negotiations over the second phase of the plan to be difficult, because it “contains many complexities and difficulties.”
The comments are made in advance of Trump’s planned two-day trip to the Middle East, where he is anticipated to announce the next step of his plan and commemorate the release of Israeli hostages who are still being held in Gaza two years after Hamas’ October 7 onslaught.
Significant political hurdles still exist, however, according to a senior Hamas official, who stated that disarmament of the organisation, a key requirement of the plan, is ‘out of the question,’ even if Hamas leaves Gaza’s government.
The previous ceasefire was unilaterally ended in March by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has hinted that if Hamas does not disarm, Israel may launch another offensive.
Trump’s agreement was implemented on Friday when Israel agreed to a ceasefire and withdrew its forces from some areas of Gaza, allowing displaced families to start moving back into houses that Israeli bombardments had destroyed. On Saturday, thousands of Palestinians traveled north along Gaza’s beachfront by foot, car, and cart as the ceasefire seemed to be holding.
Hamas has until Monday at noon to free the 47 Israeli hostages, both alive and dead, that remain from the 251 it abducted during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as part of the ceasefire. It is also expected that the remains of one more hostage, who has been detained since 2014, will be returned.
In return, Israel would free 1,700 Gazans held since the start of the conflict and 250 detainees, some of whom are serving life terms for lethal anti-Israeli acts.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
The latest round of war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.
Following a conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives and left much of the enclave in ruins, Israeli troops withdrew. Although no American forces will enter Gaza, the US military will organise a multinational taskforce that is expected to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,682 Palestinians, according to numbers the UN finds credible.
Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,219 persons, primarily civilians, according to official Israeli numbers, was the catalyst for the most recent wave of fighting.
The remarks come ahead of Trump’s scheduled Middle East visit in the next two days, during which he is expected to celebrate the release of Israeli hostages, still held in Gaza two years after Hamas’s October 7 attack, and promote the next phase of his plan.
But a senior Hamas official indicated that significant political hurdles remain, saying that disarmament of the group, a key requirement of the plan, is “out of the question,” even if Hamas steps aside from Gaza’s government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended the previous ceasefire in March, has suggested Israel could resume its offensive if Hamas fails to disarm.
Part of Trump’s deal was implemented on Friday when Israel agreed to a ceasefire and withdrew forces from parts of Gaza, allowing displaced families to begin returning to homes devastated by Israeli bombardments. Thousands of Palestinians moved north along Gaza’s coast on Saturday, travelling by foot, car, and cart, as the ceasefire appeared to hold.
As part of the ceasefire, Hamas has until noon on Monday to release the 47 remaining Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, out of the 251 abducted during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The remains of one additional hostage, held since 2014, are also expected to be returned.
In exchange, Israel will release 250 prisoners, including some serving life sentences for deadly anti-Israeli attacks, along with 1,700 Gazans detained since the outbreak of the war.
Israeli troops pulled back after a conflict that killed tens of thousands and left much of the enclave in ruins. The US military will coordinate a multinational taskforce, likely including troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, but no American forces will enter Gaza.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
The latest round of war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures.