Hamas denies agreement with 'Israel' on humanitarian pauses
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Taher el-Nounou, the media advisor to the head of the Hamas politburo, affirms that "negotiations are ongoing, and no agreement has been reached yet."
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A ball of fire erupts from a building housing various international media, including AP, after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City (AP)
Taher el-Nounou, the media advisor to the head of the Hamas politburo, denied in an interview for Al Mayadeen on Thursday that a ceasefire agreement had been reached with the Israeli occupation.
El-Nounou confirmed that discussions on the ceasefire have been ongoing for several days, and the Israeli occupation is hindering the process, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refusing any ceasefire because he does not want to resolve the issue of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in order to prolong the battle.
He pointed out that Haniyeh's meetings in Egypt have focused on how to halt the Israeli aggression and deliver aid through the Rafah crossing.
El-Nounou made it clear that the declaration of the 4-hour ceasefire was one-sided and that Hamas has no trust in the Israeli occupation due to previous experiences, expressing his belief that the 4-hour ceasefire is nothing but a smokescreen.
He pointed out that there is quite a difference between "what we hear from the mediators during negotiations and what Israeli leaders are saying."
Touching on the opening of the Rafah crossing, the Hamas official affirmed that the opening of the crossing is a Palestinian right, noting that no confirmation was received concerning its opening during the ceasefire.
El-Nounou called for international pressure on the Israeli occupation to open the Rafah crossing and deliver aid.
The Palestinian official reiterated that the Israeli occupation is responsible for the obstruction of any ceasefire agreement and the release of captives, adding that "Qatar is making strenuous efforts to achieve a satisfactory ceasefire."
In the same context, he made it clear that the Palestinians have learned a clear lesson from the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) and are determined to hold onto their land and reject forcible displacement.
Regarding the ongoing battles in Gaza as part of the Israeli occupation forces' attempted incursion into the Strip, el-Nounou said the Israeli side is concealing its losses and is announcing only one casualty per day, while the number of its casualties is in the dozens.
He also expressed his belief that the occupation is retreating from the goals it set for the battle due to the failure it is facing.
The media advisor to the head of the Hamas politburo noted that the file of Israeli occupation soldiers held by Hamas has not been addressed, emphasizing that their release will be in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners.
Earlier, el-Nounou said a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and "Israel" has not been finalized, and negotiations are currently in progress.
He stated that once an agreement is reached, it will be announced to the Palestinian people.
"Negotiations are ongoing, and no agreement has been reached yet. In the event of an agreement, this will be clearly announced to our people," el-Nounou said in a statement published on the Hamas Telegram channel.
El-Nounou's remarks came shortly after the White House announced that the Israeli occupation will begin to implement 4-hour pauses in Gaza to allow people to "flee hostilities".
The pauses, according to White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby, were the fruit of talks between American and Israeli officials in the past several days, including conversations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Kirby, the pauses would let people "escape danger", permit the delivery of humanitarian goods, and even serve as a means of freeing captives.
Evidently, what the US really means is that the pauses are there to free the captives that the Resistance is holding.
"We've been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today," Kirby explained.
"We understand that Israel will begin to implement four-hour pauses in areas of northern Gaza" with an announcement to come three hours in advance, he added.
On this note, it is worth noting that the US has claimed repeatedly its rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from the north to the south of Gaza, saying a new Nakba will not be accepted.
Kirby also added that a ceasefire was completely off the table since it would allow Hamas to "legitimize what they did on Oct. 7 and we simply are not going to stand for that at this time."
Regarding the flow of humanitarian aid to Gazans, Kirby alleged that "a four-hour pause, for instance, will allow potentially to move humanitarian assistance into that localized area over that span of time."
In a separate context, al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, announced on Thursday that one Israeli soldier, who was held captive, was killed and another was wounded due to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
It is noteworthy that the military spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida, estimated that the number of captives held by the Resistance ranged between 200 and 250 captives, or more, revealing that al-Qassam Brigades alone had 200 Israeli captives. In turn, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, announced that the movement holds 30 Israeli captives. At the same time, his deputy, Mohammad al-Hindi, confirmed that most of the captives were soldiers.
Read next: Families of Israeli captives fear, anger on the rise amid escalation
