'Israel' weaving irrelevant narrative about talks: Hamas official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
25 Feb 2024 00:03
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A senior Hamas official tells Al Mayadeen that the movement's delegation in Cairo discussed with the Egyptians the issue of breaking the siege imposed on Gaza to save people in the north.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mardawi

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mardawi confirmed to Al Mayadeen that the Palestinian Resistance has not yet received anything from the mediators regarding the Gaza ceasefire discussions in the French capital Paris to assess and build on them.

He made it clear that the Israeli occupation entity is "weaving a narrative of negotiations that has no relevance to us [Hamas]."

Al-Mardawi mentioned that the visit of the head of the political bureau of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh to Cairo did not delve into the details of the ongoing negotiations.

The Palestinian official mentioned that Hamas' delegation to Cairo discussed with the Egyptian officials the issue of breaking the Israeli siege imposed on Gaza to save the people in the north.

He pointed out that "the enemy's attempts to achieve at the negotiating table what it failed to achieve on the battlefield have all failed," underlining that the Resistance will not follow through with any position unless it serves its interests and asserts its rights.

Hamas insists on Israeli withdrawal from Gaza

Earlier, Reuters cited a Hamas official as saying that the movement concluded ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital and was now waiting for what the mediators bring back from upcoming weekend talks with the Israelis.

The official confirmed that the Palestinian Resistance movement did not offer any new proposal in Cairo.

"We discussed our proposal with them (the Egyptians) and we are going to wait until they return from Paris," the Hamas official was quoted by Reuters as saying.

In the same context, the news agency cited two Palestinian officials familiar with the negotiations as saying that Hamas has not changed its position in the latest attempt to reach a deal, stressing that the movement insists on the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan indicated that the Israeli occupation's stance and responses to mediators are still negative and obstructing the advancement toward a breakthrough solution.

He said that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "still adopts an intransigent stance toward the demands of the resistance, and its goals clash with all the initiatives proposed."

Hamdan ascertained that Netanyahu does not care about the release of Israeli captives and rejected four different demands, the first being stopping the aggression of Gaza.

Rumors about negotiations progress are false: Resistance source

This comes after a source in the Resistance leadership told Al Mayadeen that all the rumors circulating about the progress of negotiations between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel" were false.

The source revealed that "Israel", in ongoing warmongering, continues to reject Hamas' proposal, calling it "unfeasible", and insists on its own conditions that do not include the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza or a permanent ceasefire.

According to the source, Hamas, on the other hand, provided appropriate solutions concerning the ceasefire, the return of displaced Gazans, the captives release deal, and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Gaza.

However, this was considered "a high ceiling" of demands by the Israeli occupation, the source stated, adding that negotiations are being stumped for that reason and from the Israeli side solely, therefore obstructing a breakthrough.

The source highlighted that "Israel's" obstinance comes from internal conflicts that do not allow any form of flexibility in setting conditions, and the delusion that the occupation can force Hamas into a weakened position through military pressure.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been working in harmony to achieve a breakthrough in negotiations, and according to Al Mayadeen's source, will be assisted further by the United States to prompt progress.