Hamas: Tel Aviv Refuses to Guarantee an End to Gaza War
In an interview with Al-Mayadeen,Basem Naim,a leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas),emphasized that Hamas has not rejected U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s Gaza proposal but rather accepted it last week as a negotiable framework, according to webangah News Agency.
“The Zionist side submitted its response to Witkoff’s plan, wich contradicts agreed-upon terms and falls short of meeting our people’s minimal demands,” Naim asserted.
The Hamas official noted that despite this, the movement engaged “responsibly and positively” with the proposal while addressing threats facing Palestinians. “We’ve presented our counterresponse to secure at least our essential rights.”
Naim outlined key demands: “We insist on binding guarantees for a 60-day truce and sufficient humanitarian aid entry into Gaza.” He stressed that negotiations during this period must lead to “a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal of occupying forces.”
“Witkoff conveyed israel’s reaction to our proposals-including last week’s agreement on a 60-day pause,” naim explained. “But the enemy insists on implementing this truce without commitments, seeking only prisoner releases before resuming hostilities.”
The senior Hamas figure accused Israel of attempting to control humanitarian aid distribution post-March 2 rather than restoring pre-blockade mechanisms. He concluded: “The Zionist regime will never guarantee war termination or troop withdrawal from Gaza after negotiations-they openly discuss re-establishing military security arrangements within the Strip.”
