Hamas has released a statement on ongoing talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a deal to exchange Israeli captives for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
“We do not need new proposals. What is required now is to pressure Netanyahu and his government and oblige them to what has been agreed upon,” the statement reads.
Hamas maintains that both it and Israel agreed to a deal proposed earlier this year but that Netanyahu has changed the terms.
“We warn against falling into Netanyahu’s trap and tricks, as he uses negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people,” Hamas continued.
“Netanyahu’s decision not to withdraw from the Salah al-Din [Philadelphi] axis aims to thwart reaching an agreement,” it said, referring to the PM’s consistent refusal to withdraw Israeli soldiers from the area which runs along the southern border of the Gaza Strip.
on Wednesday, Netanyahu reiterated this refusal in a news conference in Jerusalem.
For months, Egypt, Qatar and the US have mediated indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, but these efforts have yet to yield results, largely due to Israel’s refusal to meet Hamas’s demands for an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
More than 40,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 last year and nearly 94,400 others injured, according to local health authorities.
An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.
Israel also faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
On Tuesday, Hamas issued a stark warning to Israel regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza, saying the lives of captives held in the besieged territory are in danger unless the regime reverses its course.
In a video message directed at Israeli settlers, Hamas stated that the continuation of military aggression would jeopardize the safety of Israeli captives.
Hamas added if the attacks on Gaza ceases, the captives will be returned safely to their homes in the occupied territories, and if the aggression persists, the fate of these individuals would remain uncertain.
The video message noted, “Every day that Netanyahu continues to rule may mean a new coffin.”
Hamas took a large group of Zionist settlers and soldiers captive in its October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, which caught the regime off-guard.
The movement initially offered to release the captives in exchange for the release of a large number of Palestinians held by Israel.
But Netanyahu has taken a tough line in the Gaza ceasefire talks, and repeatedly said military pressure is needed to bring home the captives.
According to Israeli media, he has feuded with the regime’s high-profile officials who say a deal should be struck urgently.
Dozens of the captives have so far been killed in the indiscriminate bombardment of the besieged enclave.
During its operation, Hamas took 251 Israelis captive, 97 of whom now remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the Israeli military.
Earlier this week, the military found the bodies of six captives in a tunnel in the southern city of Rafah. Hamas said they were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
The death of the six captives ignited fury among Israelis who have for months denounced Netanyahu’s policy of torpedoing a deal with Hamas in favor of his political interests.
