Exclusive: Palestinian leader reveals ceasefire progress, obstacles
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A Palestinian leader confirms that negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza are progressing through mediators but face key obstacles, including "Israel's" stance on withdrawal from Gaza and prisoner release.
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Neighbors watch the funeral procession of the victims of an Israeli occupation strike on a home in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Palestine, amid ongoing genocide, on December 22, 2024. (AP)
A Palestinian leader revealed to Al Mayadeen on Thursday that the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, mediated through intermediaries, "are progressing well but face obstacles that are not easy to overcome."
The leader confirmed that "despite the noise in the Israeli media, the negotiations are moving forward diligently through the mediators, and claims of their collapse are not true."
He explained that "the first obstacle is Israel's stance on withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor in the first phase."
He added that the second obstacle is "the occupation's refusal to release a number of prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment," while the third obstacle is "Israel's insistence on keeping its forces inside the Gaza Strip in the first phase."
The Palestinian leader clarified that "Israel insists on remaining in the Philadelphi Corridor in the first phase, but Hamas refuses to accept this," noting that "Hamas insists on the release of about 200 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment in the first phase."
He also pointed out that "Israel insists on Hamas agreeing to a specific list of 34 prisoners in Gaza, who would be released in the first phase."
Progress serious, but delays continue: Hamas
Yesterday, the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas affirmed that mediated negotiations being mediated by Qatar and Egypt for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza, taking place in Doha, are continuing "in a serious manner."
In a statement, the movement revealed that "Israel" placed forward new conditions and demands regarding the withdrawal of its forces, the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreements, and the return of displaced individuals, which delayed reaching the proposed deal.
Nonetheless, the Palestinian group said it was showing flexibility regarding the new conditions imposed by the Israeli occupation.
Read more: Day 447 of Israeli genocide in Gaza: 45,399 martyrs, 107,940 injuries
