Hamas refuses to engage in talks unless based on July 2 paper

Hamas will not participate in the meetings taking place in the Qatari capital Doha tomorrow, Thursday, over a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal with the Israeli occupation entity.

The official indicated on Wednesday that the Palestinian Resistance movement refuses to start negotiations unless they are based on the last ceasefire proposal presented on July 2.

In addition, Hamas asserted that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set new conditions that undermine the negotiation process.

On Tuesday, a source within Hamas confirmed to Reuters that the movement is holding on to its demand, calling for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement the movement approved on July 2 and compelling “Israel” to comply with it instead of engaging in new rounds of negotiations.

The source denied allegations published by CNN that the movement’s representatives were scheduled to attend the Doha meetings, asserting that all such claims were “incorrect”.

The source also stressed that “what we [Hamas] need is implementation, not more talks,” consistent with a previous statement issued by the movement.

This comes after US President Joe Biden, Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi released a couple of days ago a joint statement calling on “Israel” and the Palestinian Resistance group to finalize the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal on Thursday.

In response to the trilateral statement, Hamas affirmed on Saturday that since the onset of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, it has been committed to supporting the mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to secure a ceasefire and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and has consistently backed any initiative that aims to halt the aggression.

It confirmed that it has engaged in numerous negotiation rounds and demonstrated all necessary flexibility and positivity to achieve the goals and interests of the Palestinian people, halt the bloodshed, and end the genocide.

However, Hamas pointed out that the Israeli occupation met this approach with rejection, continuing its massacres against the Palestinian people and reiterating its stance that it was not serious about a permanent ceasefire, with its aggressive actions standing as clear evidence of this.

Despite Hamas’ awareness, shared with the mediators in Egypt and Qatar, of the occupation’s true motives and the stance of its prime minister, the movement said it still responded to the latest agreement on July 2, 2024.

Yet, according to Hamas, the Israeli occupation met this by introducing new conditions that had not been raised throughout the negotiation process and escalated its aggression against the Palestinian people, committing further massacres, which culminated in the assassination of its political leader Ismail Haniyeh, which confirms “Israel’s” intentions to continue the aggression and not reach a ceasefire agreement.

The Palestinian Resistance group said that even after the announcement of the trilateral statement, “Israel” committed a heinous crime, massacring displaced people at al-Tabieen school in Gaza’s al-Daraj neighborhood during dawn prayers on August 10 and leaving more than one hundred civilians killed and over 250 others injured.

Hamas said that in light of these developments and out of a sense of responsibility and concern for the Palestinian people and their interests, it calls on the mediators to present a plan to implement what they proposed to the movement, which was agreed on, on July 2, based on US President Joe Biden’s vision and Security Council Resolution 2735.

Elsewhere, the Palestinian Resistance group stressed that the mediators should compel “Israel” to comply with the plan, instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation’s aggression and grant it more time to continue its genocide against the Palestinian people.