The Palestinian movement Hamas said it does not see in the Israeli ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip a real guarantee that it will be implemented, the radicals wrote on their Telegram channels.
“We reviewed the new ceasefire proposal, which includes a demand for Hamas to disarm and the release of Israeli prisoners, but does not contain real guarantees for ending the war against the Palestinian people and the final withdrawal of enemy troops from Gaza“, the statement said. It does not give a clear answer to the question of whether the movement rejects the Israeli draft agreement.
“Any ceasefire proposal that does not include guarantees for an end to the war, the withdrawal of enemy troops from Gaza and the lifting of the blockade is a political trap“, the radicals believe. In this regard, Hamas called on mediators and the international community to “put pressure on Israel” during the negotiations, as the latter is "known for violating all agreements reached".
On Tuesday, the Asharq News television channel reported that Hamas "will not accept any initiative or decision that does not include a clause for a full and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza".
As previously reported by the Maan news agency, Israel has proposed renewing the ceasefire after the release of 10 hostages, including Eden Alexander, who has Israeli and American citizenship. The Jewish state is talking about a 45-day truce, during which Israeli forces will have to withdraw from areas captured during their operation in Gaza, which began in mid-March.
During the same period, several checkpoints will be opened on the border with the enclave to deliver humanitarian aid to the population of the blockaded sector. According to representatives of Egypt, which acts as a mediator in the negotiations between Hamas and the Israeli side, the agreements currently being discussed "could lead to the release of 11 live hostages and the transfer of the bodies of 16 dead hostages to Gaza".
The Egyptian side indicated that such a possibility exists with "increasing the period of the agreed ceasefire to 70 days", i.e. until the end of the Muslim holiday of the sacrifice (Eid al-Adha), which this year falls in early June.
On the evening of April 14, Hamas confirmed that the movement had received a ceasefire proposal from mediators in Gaza and was studying the document. According to the Al Hadath TV channel, one of the conditions set by the Israeli side is the disarmament of the radicals.
On April 15, the special services of the Lebanese army conducted an operation in the southern city of Saida, during which two members of the leadership of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas were detained.
This was reported by the Janoubia news portal, without specifying the names of the detainees.
According to the media outlet, this is not the first case of arrest of Palestinians in connection with armed attacks against Israel from the territory of Southern Lebanon. Earlier, the command of the armed forces of the republic closed six military bases on the Palestinian fronts in the Bekaa Valley and on the border with Syria, and the equipment and ammunition located there were confiscated.
On April 4, an Israeli Air Force fighter jet carried out an attack on Saida, killing the commander of Hamas forces in South Lebanon, Hassan Farhat.
On January 2, 2024, in the southern outskirts of Beirut, Hamas Politburo Deputy Chairman Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone attack.
There are 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon that enjoy internal autonomy, and the total number of Palestinians is estimated at 450,000 people.