'Israel' turns down Hamas ceasefire proposals: Axios
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The Israeli occupation is said to have rejected the ceasefire demands offered by the Palestinian Resistance as it continues to genocide Palestinians in Gaza.
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Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, February 9, 2024 (AP)
The Israeli occupation rejected Thursday the ceasefire proposal made by Hamas days earlier, which entails the release of all Israeli captives and the cessation of hostilities in Gaza over three stages.
As reported by Axios, which cited two Israeli officials, the Israeli occupation regime told the Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it rejected the ceasefire proposal but it was still open to talks based on the original proposal discussed in late January.
The Israeli occupation's response, namely the fact that it is still open for talks, goes against what embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and numerous of his far-right government ministers have been saying about there being no ceasefire without the destruction of the Hamas Resistance movement.
That itself is an indication that the Israeli regime does not think the military option is viable.
The Israeli occupation's response to the Palestinian Resistance said it would not agree to the demand of fully withdrawing from Gaza, especially not when it comes to pulling out its forces from the "corridor" splitting Gaza by half and isolating its south from the north. This would prohibit displaced civilians from returning to northern Gaza during the first phase of the deal's implementation.
One compromise the Israeli occupation is allegedly willing to offer though is the redeployment of the invading Israeli occupation forces outside big population centers in Gaza.
Another issue for "Israel" is committing to not resuming strikes on Gaza after the implementation of the deal, therefore it told mediators that it rejected the Resistance's demand to add the word "permanent" to the clause regarding the ceasefire.
No lifting of siege
The last issue, according to Axios and the Israeli officials, has to do with the blockade in place on Gaza since 2007. While the Resistance demanded that the siege be lifted, the Israeli occupation said that issue would not even be discussed, dismissing it in its entirety.
The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas announced Tuesday that it handed its response to the Paris Document to mediators on Tuesday evening.
"A short while ago, the Hamas movement delivered its response to the framework agreement to the brothers in Qatar and Egypt," a statement said.
In further detail, the statement explained that the response aims to achieve "a comprehensive and full ceasefire," a clause that was not included in the original proposal.
The submitted response maintained the necessity of "a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, ending the aggression against [the Palestinian people], securing relief, shelter, reconstruction (projects), lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip, and completing the process of a prisoner exchange [deal]."
Moreover, the movement said it handed its response to both Qatari and Egyptian officials who are mediating indirect negotiations between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel".
Read more: Exclusive-Hamas, PIJ: No one can force terms on Palestinian Resistance
Response positive, yet stern
Hamas said that it did so following discussions on leadership levels within the movement and with other Palestinian Resistance factions. The statement added that the movement dealt "positively" with the initial proposal made in the Paris Document, which came as a result of a meeting of top intelligence officials from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and France in Paris earlier in late January.
Just prior to the announcement, sources from the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen that the Resistance had accepted the framework of the Paris Document, yet coupled with fundamental conditions.
Moreover, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said Tuesday that the country's Mossad spy agency is examining the response of the Palestinian Resistance to a proposed deal to halt fighting in Gaza.
"Hamas's reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad. Its details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations," said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
