Hamas rejects Israel: No ceasefire without an end to the war!

Hamas rejects Israel: No ceasefire without an end to the war!

Hamas has rejected Israel's latest proposal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire. Loud vienna.at The proposal did not provide for an end to the war, which the organization could not accept. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official, stressed that the group would not agree to partial agreements and was calling for a complete end to the conflict and the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers. This second phase of the ceasefire was originally scheduled to begin in early March.

The latest phase of the ceasefire ended about a month ago without Israel and Hamas being able to agree on the terms of the next deal. The current plan calls for ten hostages to be released in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire. However, according to Israeli information, there are still 24 living hostages and 35 bodies of those abducted in the Gaza Strip.

Hostages as a means of pressure

The situation surrounding the hostages is extremely tense as they represent an important means of pressure for Hamas. According to information from tagesschau.de Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an ultimatum that called on Hamas to release the hostages. If this does not happen by midday on Saturday, Israel may plan military action. A majority of Israelis believe Netanyahu sacrificed the hostages, putting him under pressure for domestic political reasons. Regarding the current situation, Netanyahu said that Israel has two main goals: the dismantling of Hamas and the release of the hostages.

US President Donald Trump has also used his influence and called for the hostages to be released quickly. He threatened Jordan and Egypt with financial losses if they were not prepared to accept Palestinians. However, Hamas rejected Trump's demands and stressed that a ceasefire was the only way to release the hostages. Both Germany and the UN warned of a possible end to the ceasefire and demanded compliance with the agreement.

Negotiations and upcoming agreements

It is important to note that Israel and Hamas had already reached a tentative agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza war, as tagesschau.de reported. In this agreement, 33 Hamas hostages were to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Details of this agreement remain unclear, but the plan called for the ceasefire to take effect on January 19, 2025 and last for six weeks. This agreement was the first of its kind in more than a year and would have allowed Israel to gradually withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

The looming conflict and the tense negotiations over hostages and a ceasefire show how complex and dangerous the situation in the Middle East is. The international community is closely monitoring developments as hopes for peace and stability continue to fade.