Ceasefire talks are pointless after Israel’s new plan for Gaza, a senior Hamas official said on Tuesday.
According to the Hamas representative, interest in the talks faded after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be a new intense military operation in Gaza. He also called on the international community to end the “war of starvation” in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, the Israeli cabinet had approved plans to expand the operation in the Gaza Strip, including the possibility of occupying the region.
In turn, one of the Hamas leaders, Abdel Rahman Shadid, said that the Palestinian movement was ready to conclude a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and was now awaiting action from Israel.
Israel closed access to Gaza for trucks carrying food on March 2, after the completion of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages. Israeli officials say that enough humanitarian aid has been delivered to the territory in recent months and that supplies can be temporarily suspended until the terrorists return the remaining hostages.
On the night of March 18, Israel resumed its military operation against the Palestinian movement Hamas and strikes on the Gaza Strip, where a ceasefire had been in place since January 19. The Israeli army’s actions were in response to the movement’s refusal to accept the American plan to release hostages during the truce and extend it.
Israel’s plan targets all Palestinians, not just Hamas, Palestinian envoy to UK says
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Husam Zomlot accused Israel of pursuing a strategy aimed not at Hamas, but at the systematic displacement and destruction of the Palestinian population and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
“The plan is not targeting Hamas. The plan is targeting the Palestinian people, depopulating Gaza, reoccupying Gaza,” Zomlot said in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday.
“And guess what? It’s happening also in the West Bank. You are aware of what is happening in Jenin and Tulkarm – depopulating tens of thousands of people, destroying refugee camps, infrastructure. So, this is the plan. And the question is, how on earth can Israel advance its plan up against the rest of the world?”
Zomlot stressed that an internationally backed ceasefire was already in place and offered a way out of the conflict, if only Israel would agree to stick to it.
