Hamas and Israel accused each other on Wednesday of sabotaging a potential ceasefire-hostage deal despite both sides reporting “significant” progress in past days.
Negotiations, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, had taken place in Doha this week, rekindling hope for an agreement that has long proven elusive.
Hamas accused Israel of laying down “new conditions”, while Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, claimed the Palestinian terror group was going back on understandings already reached.
“The occupation has set new conditions related to withdrawal, ceasefire, prisoners and the return of the displaced, which has delayed reaching the agreement that was available,” Hamas said in a statement.
However, it added that it was showing flexibility and that the talks – which had been gathering momentum for several weeks – were going in a serious direction.
The coffin of Israeli soldier Hillel Diener, who was killed in Gaza, is carried in Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem – Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Mourners at the funeral of the sergeant first class, the latest Israeli casualty in Gaza – Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
Mr Netanyahu countered Hamas’s statement, saying the terror group “continues to lie” and “create difficulties in the negotiations”.
Israel will, however, continue relentless efforts to return hostages, he added.
After months of long-stalled negotiations, Mr Netanyahu on Monday told parliament that there was “some progress” in the talks, and on Tuesday his office said Israeli representatives had returned from Qatar after “significant negotiations”.
Reports on Monday suggested that the deal was 90 per cent complete and could be finalised within days.
However, the fresh accusations have poured cold water on recent optimistic remarks by those involved in the talks.
Israelis in Ashkelon are braced for a Houthi drone attack as warning sirens sound – Amir Cohen/Reuters
Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president, on Wednesday urged Israeli leaders to use all their “power” to secure a deal for the release of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
“I call on our leadership to act with all its power and with all the means at our disposal to bring about a deal,” Mr Herzog, whose role is largely symbolic, said in a statement.
US and Arab mediators have stepped up efforts to conclude a phased deal in the past two weeks – yet one of the major sticking points has been Israeli troop deployments.
Speaking with commanders in southern Gaza, Israel Katz, Israeli defence minister, said on Wednesday that Israel will retain security control of Gaza by means of buffer zones and controlling posts.
A mock missile is carried during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sana’a, Yemen – Yahya Arhab/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Hamas has demanded an end to the war, while Israel says it wants to end Hamas’s rule of the enclave first to ensure it will no longer pose a threat to Israelis.
The possible deal is said to take place in phases and include a halt in fighting, an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and a surge in aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
The last phase would include the release of all remaining hostages, which would be done in stages as it is said Hamas still needs to locate some of the captives.
Of 96 hostages still held in Gaza, 62 are assumed by Israel to still be alive.
Palestinians walk in wrecked Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip – Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty
The last truce was secured in November 2023. It lasted under a week and saw more than 100 hostages freed.
The blow to the ceasefire negotiations came as Israeli forces pressed on with their offensive in the northern Gaza Strip, including around three hospitals in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia.
Israeli strikes killed at least 24 people across Gaza on Wednesday, Gazan health officials said.
One strike hit a former school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City’s suburb of Sheikh Radwan, they added.
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