Ramadan ceasefire?
Hamas probably ready for further Gaza negotiations
March 10, 2024, 2:33 a.m
A ceasefire for Ramadan is the declared goal of all parties in the Gaza war. But the plan seemed to have failed. But now there is still a glimmer of hope: the negotiations have not stopped, explains Hamas.
The Islamist Hamas is sticking to its demand for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, but is ready for further negotiations, according to a media report. “We have not declared that negotiations have stopped,” Husam Badran, a member of the Islamist organization’s political bureau, told the Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, in order to reach an agreement at the last minute before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the talks between the mediators Egypt, Qatar and the USA will be continued on Sunday in Cairo.
The Arab negotiators planned to push for an initial, shorter ceasefire of two days at the start of Ramadan, it was said. So far there has been talk of a six-week ceasefire proposed by the mediators. The month of fasting is a particularly holy time for Muslims and is expected to begin on Sunday evening.
Israel accuses Hamas of not being interested in a ceasefire at the moment. Rather, the Islamist organization is striving to “set the (Middle East) region on fire in Ramadan,” said the head of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, in a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday evening. At the same time, Israel remains in contact with the mediators and cooperates with them, it said.
“We are the party most interested in ending this war,” Hamas Politburo member Badran told the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, Badran reaffirmed Hamas’ conditions for an agreement, the US newspaper continued. This includes a permanent ceasefire, sufficient aid supplies across all border crossings, a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip and a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military. However, the mediators’ proposal so far only provides for a six-week ceasefire and a first phase of exchanging hostages for Palestinian prisoners. During this ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire and the terms of the release of all remaining hostages will be negotiated. Israel has so far shown no willingness to move away from this step-by-step plan.