Hamas rejected Tuesday as unnecessary cease-fire talks with Israel, accusing him of a “hunger war” on Gaza while famine is looming and Israel is preparing for a wider assault on Palestinian territory ravaged by war.
The comments of a senior Hamas followed the approval by Israel of a military plan involving the “conquest” of Gaza, where almost all 2.3 million people have been moved and an Israeli two -month blockage aggravated the humanitarian crisis.
“There is no sense to engage in talks or to consider new proposals of ceasefire as long as the war of hunger and the war of extermination continue in the Gaza Strip,” Basem Naim told AFP.
Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau and former Minister of Health of Gaza, said that the world had to put pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the “hunger, thirst and murders' crimes.”
Qatar, a key mediator of the conflict, said that “our efforts are being underway” for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The Israeli army said on Monday that extended operations in Gaza would include the movement of “most” of its population.
Sunday, the Israel security firm approved a military plan for extended operations, which, according to a manager, would imply “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the detention of the territories”.
The time for troop deployments has enabled an “opportunity window” for a possible hostage agreement coinciding with the visit of American president Donald Trump in the Middle East from Saudi Arabia on May 13, said a high source of Israeli security.
Almost all the inhabitants of the territory have been moved, often several times, since the start of the war launched by the attack on October 7, 2023 of Hamas against Israel.
The Israeli army resumed its offensive on the Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two -month truce.
– “Dust and Destruction” –
The Civil Defense of Gaza said that six Palestinians, including a young girl, had been killed during the Israeli dawn attacks against Gaza.
Moaz Hamdan, who lost family members during a strike in Nuseirat in the center of Gaza, said that he had been awakened by “a very large explosion”.
“We saw the whole place covered with dust and destruction, and there was no vision. We could not save the wounded,” he said.
President Isaac Herzog said that Israeli was at a delicate point with “a difficult dialogue” in parallel with “more measures militarily in order to bring our hostages”.
“I really believe that all participants must make an additional effort, make an additional effort, make an additional step, so that we can see our hostages at home immediately,” he added.
Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated on Monday outside the Parliament in Jerusalem to express their opposition to the government plan.
“Gaza is and must remain, an integral part of a future Palestinian state,” said Farhan Haq.
The UN and help organizations have repeatedly warned the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, with imminent famine.
On Monday, a senior Israeli security official said that “a central component of the plan is a large -scale evacuation of the entire Gazan population of the combat areas … to the southern Gaza regions”.
– “breach” –
The military spokesman Effie Defrin said that the offensive would include “moving most of the Gaza Strip population … to protect them”.
China said that it opposed the military actions of Israel to Gaza and that it was “very concerned” by the situation, urging all parties to “effectively implement the cease-fire agreement”.
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot, said that Paris “condemns very strongly” the planned Gaza offensive of Israel, appeal “unacceptable” and adding that his government was “in violation of humanitarian law”.
For the Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the “Nakba”, or disaster – the mass movement of the war which led to the creation of Israel in 1948.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza, managed by Hamas, said that at least 2,459 people had been killed since Israel had resumed its campaign on March 18, bearing the overall number of war deaths at 52,567.
Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the death of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mainly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.
Of the 251 people kidnapped by activists that day, 58 are still detained in Gaza, including 34, the Israeli soldiers say they are dead.
The talks for a truce in Gaza, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have stalled with Israel insisting on a ceasefire of limited duration and the disarmament of Hamas while the Palestinian group said that negotiations should lead to a permanent end to war.
BUR-AZZ-MIB-CSP / ACC / DV
