Netanyahu says “Israel cannot accept” Hamas demands to end the war in Gaza

Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas once again showed their deep disagreement over a ceasefire in the Gaza war, putting a chill on talks that resumed in Cairo on Sunday. Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed this this Sunday“Israel cannot accept” Hamas demands to stop the war. “When Israel shows its goodwill, Hamas persists in its extreme positions, driven by the demand for the withdrawal of our forces from the Gaza Strip, an end to the war and the preservation of Hamas. Israel cannot accept this.”said Benjamin Netanyahu during the Council of Ministers.

According to a Hamas source, talks resumed on Sunday between the Islamist movement and Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Hamas insists on its demands: “complete cessation of aggression” Israeli and “withdrawal” Israeli forces from Gaza. Terms rejected by Israel, which considers Hamas a terrorist organization along with the United States and the European Union, and which has vowed to destroy the Islamist movement after the Oct. 7 attack.

Mutual accusations

A day earlier, during the first round of talks on Saturday in Cairo in the presence of a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya and representatives of mediators, Israel and the Palestinian movement accused each other of obstructing any deal. A Hamas official reiterated, on condition of anonymity, that his movement would not accept “There is no agreement in any case that does not explicitly provide for the cessation of war” in Gaza. Benjamin “Netanyahu is personally slowing down the deal”he told AFP on Saturday night about the Israeli prime minister whom Hamas had previously accused of obstructing him with its public threats over the attack on Rafah, the overcrowded southern Gaza Strip city.

An offer by mediators – Qatar, Egypt, the United States – presented to Hamas in late April calls for a temporary truce linked to the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages kidnapped during the October 7 attack.