Hamas has rejected Israel’s latest offer of a temporary truce in Gaza, instead demanding a comprehensive agreement that would end the war and include a full prisoner exchange.
In a televised speech, senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said the group would no longer accept interim deals. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using partial truces as political cover to prolong the war.
“We will not be part of passing this policy,” Hayya said, adding that Hamas wants to immediately begin negotiations to end hostilities, release all Israeli hostages, secure the freedom of Palestinians in Israeli prisons, and begin rebuilding Gaza.
The demand shifts away from earlier negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which sought incremental agreements. Talks in Cairo on Monday ended without a breakthrough.
Israel had proposed a 45-day pause in fighting in exchange for phased hostage releases and indirect talks about a possible end to the conflict. But Hamas dismissed the plan, accusing Israel of setting "impossible conditions" and refusing to agree to terms that did not include a total ceasefire.
National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said: “Hamas’s comments demonstrate they are not interested in peace but perpetual violence. The terms made by the Trump Administration have not changed: release the hostages or face hell.”
Since the collapse of the January truce, Israeli air and ground strikes have resumed. On Thursday, at least 32 Palestinians were killed, including women and children, according to local health officials. Six people died in a strike on a UN-run school in Jabalia. The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas command center.
Israel maintains that the war will not end until Gaza is demilitarised and all remaining 59 hostages are released. Hamas insists that any release of hostages must be tied to a full ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The gap between the two sides remains wide, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens.
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