Hamas called for pressure on Israel, which has not accepted the latest road map. This, recently announced by American President Donald Trump, concerns the second stage of the plan and links the disarmament of Hamas to a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Palestinian territory.
“Hamas and the other factions confirmed to the mediators their willingness (…) to move on to the second phase, provided that Israel gives its approval and begins to implement the agreement,” an official from the organization told AFP.
Hamas “urges the American administration to exert pressure on Israel to force it to respect the agreement,” he added on condition of anonymity.
President Trump last week welcomed Hamas’ acceptance of its disarmament as part of the plan, alongside a gradual withdrawal of Israel from Gaza.
Faced with Israeli concerns and following a meeting on Monday with Benjamin Netanyahu, the high representative of the “Peace Council” for Gaza, Nikolai Mladenov, assured him that Israel would only withdraw after “complete” disarmament of Hamas.
But that was not enough and Mr. Netanyahu, campaigning for his re-election in October and facing strong opposition over the agreement, showed his rejection of the plan on Wednesday.
The Israeli army has vowed to continue targeting the Islamist movement, which carried out the deadliest attack ever on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli operations in Gaza, although continuing, appear to have diminished in intensity in recent days. On Saturday, the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes (south) reported three people injured by Israeli fire.
Since the October ceasefire, 1,257 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory, which comes under the authority of Hamas and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Israeli army reported five deaths in its ranks over the same period, as well as one civilian contract employee.
