Hamas, Islamic Jihad set conditions for agreement with Israel

ISTANBUL

The Palestinian group Hamas and Islamic Jihad movement affirmed Wednesday their conditions for any agreement with Israel, including a halt to the Gaza war, a full Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction, ending the blockade and a serious prisoner exchange deal.

This was outlined in a statement released by Hamas following a meeting that included Mohamed Ismail Darwish, the head of Hamas’s Shura Council, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhala, and his deputy Mohamed Hindi, though the location of the meeting was not specified.

According to the statement, the two groups emphasized the need to ensure the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza regardless of the results of negotiations about ending the war.

The meeting underscored the necessity of stopping the Israeli aggression and war on Gaza, punishing the occupation leaders for their crimes against humanity, and reviewing field developments and the resilience of the resistance's ability to strike throughout occupied Palestine.

Regarding the cease-fire negotiations, the attendees reviewed the progress of indirect negotiations and the occupying power's obstructive stance, which hinders the mediators' efforts to reach a cease-fire and prisoner exchange agreement.

They stressed that any agreement must achieve a comprehensive halt to the aggression, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the sector, the start of reconstruction, ending the blockade, and a serious prisoner exchange deal.

They held the occupation leaders responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators (Qatar and Egypt) by insisting on continuing the aggression and denying what was agreed upon in previous stages, especially the proposal accepted by Hamas on July 2.

The meeting comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on not withdrawing the army from the Philadelphi Corridor on the border with Egypt and the Netzarim Corridor separating the north and south of the sector.

US President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday evening to discuss the developments in the negotiations.

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

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The conflict has resulted in over 40,170 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 92,740 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul