Hamas Rejects Israeli Ceasefire Offer Over Disarmament Demand

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Hamas Rejects Israeli Ceasefire Offer Over Disarmament Demand

 

Hamas has reportedly turned down Israel’s latest proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, which included a demand that the militant group surrender its weapons—a condition that has proven to be a firm red line for Hamas leadership.

 

The proposal was delivered to regional mediators late last week, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with President Donald Trump in Washington.

 

 

In response, a senior Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya traveled to Cairo for meetings with Egyptian intelligence officials. Al-Hayya, who serves as both deputy chairman of Hamas’s political bureau and the group’s chief negotiator in ceasefire and hostage negotiations, has previously made Hamas’s stance unmistakably clear. He reiterated the group’s refusal to disarm, its a red line for Hamas.

 

Previously Khalil  stated the groups ongoing commitment to the destruction of Israel, he expressed pride in the October 7 attacks and vowed to repeat them.

 

According to a Palestinian official, Israel’s ceasefire proposal was viewed as a stalling tactic, designed not to bring an end to hostilities but to secure the release of hostages while continuing the war effort. The official emphasized that Hamas would not accept any proposal that demanded it give up its weapons, calling the requirement unacceptable and unrealistic.

 

Currently, it is believed that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 24 confirmed to be alive. On Tuesday, a spokesman for Hamas’s military wing claimed the group had "lost contact" with a unit holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, allegedly due to a direct strike on their position. Hamas had released a video of the 21-year-old soldier days earlier, in which he appeared to be speaking under duress. In a separate piece of propaganda, Hamas threatened to return hostages in coffins.

 

Accounts from recently released hostages paint a grim picture of their captivity. Many describe being held in harsh underground conditions, often in poor health and with untreated wounds. Hamas has said it is prepared to release all hostages in exchange for a full cessation of Israeli military operations and a complete withdrawal from Gaza.

 

Egypt is reported to have offered a modified ceasefire proposal to Hamas, which is currently under consideration by the group. Despite this, Israeli media remains skeptical of any imminent breakthrough. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an unnamed senior Israeli security official as saying, "We assess that there will be a deal within two-three weeks, but right now there are still gaps and the distance is great."

 

"We want to get them to release 19 living hostages. Israel and the United States are co-ordinated, and the military pressure is having an impact," the official continued. "They have a shortage of gas, and the food and the fuel will run out in a few weeks. The big achievement of the residents' return to the northern Gaza Strip has been erased. Pressure from the residents has begun. That's rattled them."

 

Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on March 18 and has since intensified ground operations, declaring Hamas as its primary target. Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated that any future ceasefire negotiations will take place "under fire."

 

Since operations resumed, at least 1,630 people have been killed, raising the death toll over the past 18 months of war to 51,000, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.

 

Based on a report by  BBC | TOI 2025-04-16

 

 

[flyingtlger]

Netanyahu wants to have the cake and eat it too. It doesn't work that way.......