Gaza/Cairo, Israel and Hamas were today (Thursday) once again
headed on a collision course, with the Jewish state claiming it favoured
”unconditional” extension of a 72-hour ceasefire and the Palestinian militant
group denying any agreement on it, saying its “fingers are still on the
trigger”.
However, an Israeli
official quoted by Reuters news agency said Israel had expressed its readiness
to extend the truce under its ”current terms” — without specifying what those
were.
The ceasefire brought
relief to millions on both sides — especially the Palestinians — after one
month of fighting killed nearly 1,900 of them, three fourths of them civilians,
and 67 Israelis — all but two of them soldiers.Israel has agreed to
extend the ceasefire that brought a much needed pause in Israel’s deadly
attacks on Gaza from air, land and sea, with the Hamas largely depending on
their primitive arsenal of rockets, most of which were either intercepted by
Israel’s Iron Dome or fell in unpopulated areas.Israeli officials said
the country had offered to extend the three-day ceasefire in Gaza which began
on Tuesday.
But Hamas deputy leader
Mussa Abu Marzuq, part of the Palestinian delegation taking part in
Egypt-mediated talks in Cairo, denied that there was yet any agreement on the
extension of the ceasefire“There is no agreement
to extend the ceasefire,” he wrote on Twitter and Hamas spokesman Sami Abu
Zuhri added that any news about the extension of the truce was unfounded.
Hamas also warned last
night that it would resume its attacks on Israel unless Jerusalem accepted all
Palestinian demands, first and foremost being the lifting of the siege and
release of prisoners who were rearrested in the West Bank.
Also, the blockades
erected by Israel in the occupied territories have over the years created
appalling hardships for the people in Gaza. Until the regime change in Egypt
the Gazans were able to procure all their essential commodities via a network
of underground tunnels built by Hamas, but after the military took over it
closed down most of them and in recent weeks destroyed several others.
Hamas official Izzat
al-Risheq said, “We haven’t received a reply to our demands. Our fingers are
still on the trigger.”Israel’s Chief of Staff
Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, has said in televised remarks that should Hamas
disrupt the calm, “we will not hesitate to continue to use our force wherever
necessary and with whatever force necessary to ensure the security of Israeli
citizens near and far.”
In his first comments
since the 72-hour truce began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed
Hamas for all of the civilian casualties, saying it had used civilians as human
shields. This is denied both by Hamas, Gazans and independent observers who say
that the merciless Israeli bombing and shelling of heavily populated areas
could by no means be defended, and point to the large number of civilian deaths.
Due to the blockades the inhabitants of what has been called the largest open
air prison also have nowhere to run or hide.
(Source- www.newsroompost.com)
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