Hamas: Israel trying to release captives without reference to end Gaza aggression
A senior official from the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said Israeli regime is trying to release captives without linking that to an end to aggressions in Gaza stressing that the movement will not accept a ceasefire deal without an end to Israeli atrocities.
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The comments were made on Saturday by a senior official with the movement, who asked not to be named, AFP reported.
The official said the group would "not agree under any circumstances" to a truce that did not explicitly include a complete end to the war, including the regime’s withdrawal from Gaza.
He said the regime was trying to secure a deal that would enable the release of those who were taken captive during al-Aqsa Storm "without linking it to ending the aggression on Gaza."
The official, meanwhile, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "personally hindering" efforts to reach a truce due to "personal interests."
The comments echoed those made by Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, to the agency a day earlier.
Bardan had condemned Netanyahu for stonewalling a deal, saying the Israeli premier’s insistence on carrying out a ground invasion against the southern Gaza city of Rafah was a key stumbling block in negotiations aimed at potential arrival at an agreement.
At least 34,654 people have died in Gaza since October 7, when the Israeli regime began the war in response to al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by the coastal sliver’s resistance groups.
Around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the city from the ravages of the war.
The Israeli official has said the regime would go ahead with invading the city “with or without” a truce.