Hamas Spurns New Ceasefire Plans Hamas said there was no need for further ceasefire negotiations concerning the Gaza Strip and called on the international community to pressure Israel to accept a U.S. plan that Hamas had already accepted. The militants reiterated their loyalty to a U.S. blueprint, presented on July 2, that was intended to end fighting between Hamas and Israel.
Israel’s Stand on the Philadelphi Corridor One of the main issues that appears to have imparted a lack of motion in the ceasefire talks is the refusal of Israel to pull out from the Philadelphi corridor, a strategic area in southern Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained one of the major hindrances towards an agreement. Hamas said Netanyahu was only using the negotiations as a delaying tactic, as Israel continued its military aggression on Gaza.
Hamas said in a released statement that Palestinians should not be misled by the negotiations of Netanyahu; it is a strategy to prolong the conflict.
Ceasefires Despite impasses in the ceasefire negotiations, WHO reports humanitarian breaks in hostilities have enabled some success, as seen in the current campaign for polio vaccination. Indeed, negotiations are underway to expand access to children outside the current humanitarian ceasefire zones.
So far Hamas has refused to accept the need for new ceasefire negotiations. Instead, it has called on the international community to pressure Israel toward a U.S. plan that Hamas has already signed off on. The plan – first floated in early July with the aim of bringing an end to the current conflict between Hamas and Israel – has been complicated by the refusal thus far from Israel to cede its presence in the Philadelphi corridor, in southern Gaza.
The Philadelphi corridor is the most contentious, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu digging his heels in on the matter. Hamas countered that Netanyahu had played these talks as a Trojan horse, aimed at continuing the heavy hand of the Israeli military in the region and warning that his plans are “intended to make the suffering of the Palestinian people longer.”.
While diplomatic efforts continue, some humanitarian work has seen progress. The WHO reported that the humanitarian pauses in fighting have enabled it to make progress with its mass polio vaccination campaign. There are still areas in southern Gaza, though, where the children remain beyond the agreed zones for these pauses, and negotiations continue to extend access there.
In turn, Hamas reaffirmed its adherence to the U.S. proposal and called on the international community not to fall into the “trap” of Netanyahu by delaying negotiations. So far, only minor progress has been made regarding the ceasefire, thereby leaving the situation in the Gaza Strip on very insecure ground.
