Saturday , November 23 2024

Gaza ceasefire talks: The ball is now completely in Israel's court…Why did Hamas have to say this?

Gaza ceasefire talks: After accepting Hamas' ceasefire proposal, Netanyahu's office rejected it as 'far from Israel's essential demands'. After which both sides sent their delegations to Cairo for talks.

After two days of long talks, the Hamas delegation has returned to Qatar from Cairo. Before returning to Qatar after the meetings on the ceasefire agreement, Hamas members said that the ball of the agreement is now completely in Israel's court. Hamas has rejected Israel's proposal, objecting to several central issues. “We stand by our resolution, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupiers,” Hamas said in a message to other Palestinian factions.

Both sides returned without any agreement

Egyptian government-affiliated media outlet Al-Cahira reported on Thursday that delegations from both sides had returned from Cairo after two days of talks on the agreement. According to Al-Cahira, mediators Egypt, Qatar and the US are still trying to stop the 7-month-long war.

Hamas accepted the proposal

On Monday, Hamas said it had accepted the ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators. However Israel did not agree to the conditions put forward by Hamas. The Hamas agreement included the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war, a permanent ceasefire, and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel. But Netanyahu's office rejected this proposal as 'far from Israel's essential demands'. After which delegations from both sides were sent to Cairo to negotiate the agreement.

Where is the matter stuck?

Israel has long opposed a permanent ceasefire and insists it must complete the task of dismantling Hamas. Hamas is adamant on a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the reconstruction of Gaza. Because of this the war drags on for a long time.