google-site-verification: googlec7193c3de77668c9.html

Hamas rejects Israeli request to extend first phase of Gaza ceasefire deal | World News


Hamas has rejected an Israeli request to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, a senior official has said.

The militant group will only release the remaining Israeli hostages under the terms of the already agreed-upon phased deal, Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Under a plan put forward by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel has accepted, the first phase of the ceasefire deal would continue through Ramadan and Passover, or until 20 April.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said earlier Israel would stop all goods and supplies into Gaza after claiming Hamas was refusing to “accept the Witkoff outline for continuing the talks, which Israel agreed to”.

Hamas condemned the decision to block aid to the enclave, calling it “a war crime and a blatant attack” on a truce that took a year of negotiations before taking hold in January.

The foreign minister of Egypt, a key mediator in the conflict, said the plan was an attempt to use “starvation as a weapon” and “a flagrant and clear violation of humanitarian law”.

Saudi Arabia called Israel’s decision “a tool of extortion”.

More on Benjamin Netanyahu

The first phase of the ceasefire, which expired on Saturday, saw a surge in humanitarian aid after months of growing hunger.

Negotiations on the second phase were meant to start a month ago but haven’t begun.

Israel warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas refused to agree to its proposal.

Under the US proposal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the rest when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, Mr Netanyahu said.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 35 of them believed to be dead, of the estimated 250 captives taken to Gaza after its 7 October 2023 raid on southern Israel in which 1,200 people died.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Advertisements

Source link

Views: 0

See also  Mortuary workers exposed to 'dangerously high' levels of toxin from Air India crash bodies, says report | UK News

Check Also

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani recovering from pneumonia and 'now breathing on his own'

The ex-New York mayor ‘remains in critical but stable condition’, according to his spokesman. BBC …

Record cocaine seizure made by Spanish police off coast of Western Sahara | World News

Police in Spain have made what they have said is a “record-breaking cocaine seizure in …

Why the United Nations is no longer fit for purpose | World News

👉 Listen to This Is Why on your podcast app 👈 With conflicts continuing in …

Leave a Reply

Available for Amazon Prime