Hamas says ceasefire talks should be based on Biden's plan

2024-08-12 08:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Hamas says ceasefire talks should be based on Biden's plan

Palestinians look at the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, August 11, 2024

Hamas, the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, asked negotiators on Sunday to present a plan based on past talks, instead of holding new talks on a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, the leaders of the United States, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to meet for talks on August 15, either in Qatar or Doha, to finalize an agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

Israel has said it will send its own negotiators to attend that meeting.

Hamas initially said it was considering the offer, but has now hinted it may not participate if the talks are not based on US President Joe Biden's plan.

"The movement calls on the mediators to present a plan for the implementation of what the movement agreed on on July 2, 2024, based on Biden's vision and the resolution of the UN Security Council," says the Hamas communiqué.

"The mediators should make the occupier [Israel] comply with this, instead of asking for new rounds of talks, or new proposals which would cover up the occupier's aggression and give them more time to continue the genocide against the people our", says the communiqué.

President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase plan for a ceasefire in Gaza during a speech on May 31 in Washington. Since then, regional mediators have tried to bring the parties to the table to reach a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of the hostages, but have faced constant obstacles.

Recently, the risk of a wide war in the Middle East has also increased, after the assassination in Tehran of the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as the senior military commander of Hezbollah, Faud Shukr, in Beirut.

Hamas has accused Israel of killing Haniyeh. Israel has not claimed responsibility, but neither has it denied it.

Iran and Hamas have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel says its aim is to destroy Hamas, after the October 7 attack, in which militants from Gaza swept into southern Israel and killed 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others.

After a round of exchanges in November, Israel says a further 111 hostages are being held in Gaza, including the dead bodies of 39 hostages.

Israel's war in Gaza has since left nearly 40,000 Palestinians dead and more than 91,700 wounded, according to health officials in the enclave.

More than 1.9 million of pre-war Gaza's total population of 2.3 million have been forced to flee their homes, constantly moving across the tiny territory to escape the war.