Netanyahu Refuses to End Gaza War, Hamas-Israel Negotiations Fail Again
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ignored international calls urging Israel not to attack Rafah.
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Palestinians search for victims in the ruins of houses destroyed by Israeli attacks in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday (5/5/2024).
JERUSALEM, MONDAY — ceasefire negotiations in Gaza again ended in failure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to resist international pressure to stop the war. The war between Hamas and Israel shows no signs of abating.
The negotiations held in Cairo, Egypt, were declared a failure on Sunday (5/5/2024) local time. Hamas stated that Israel rejected several demands, thereby preventing a ceasefire agreement from being reached.
Israel did not send a delegation to the latest negotiations. The Egyptian government media, SIS, reported that the Hamas delegation left for discussions in Qatar, where the group has a political office. Other Egyptian media, Al-Qahera, stated that the Hamas negotiators will return to Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday (7/5/2024).
Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns was scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Monday (6/5/2024). Burns was one of the main mediators in the negotiations.
According to several sources, Burns is currently on his way to meet with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who has acted as a mediator for Hamas.
The Foreign Minister who is also the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani (right), spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) at the foreign ministers' meeting within the framework of the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Partnership. The meeting discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and took place at the GCC Secretariat office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 29, 2024.
Netanyahu referred to Hamas' demands as excessive. Hamas demands, among other things, include the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war. "It's the same as surrendering after Hamas' attack on October 7 that sparked the fighting," Netanyahu said.
Also read: Prospects for a ceasefire are slim, Israel insists on storming Rafah
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh previously stated that Hamas is serious and positive about the negotiations. He also stated that ending Israeli aggression in Gaza is a top priority.
The proposal presented by the Egyptian mediator to Hamas establishes a three-stage process for a six-week ceasefire. This ceasefire is accompanied by the release of Israeli hostages. The condition is that Israel withdraws its troops from Gaza.
The initial stage will last for 40 days. Hamas will start by releasing female civilian hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (left) gave a statement to the media alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (right) in Tehran, Iran on March 26, 2024.
Netanyahu claims that Israel has shown willingness to compromise. However, he continued, Israel will continue to fight until all its goals are achieved.
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"I tell world leaders, there is no pressure, no decision from any international forum that will stop Israel from defending itself," said Netanyahu in his fiery speech on the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day.
3 Israeli soldiers killed
In the midst of gloomy ceasefire negotiations, the Israeli government has again stated that it will attack Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip which borders Egypt. Currently, Rafah is a shelter for around 1 million Palestinian refugees. Rafah is also the main entry point for aid into Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has accused Hamas of not being serious about ceasefire negotiations. Not only towards Rafah, Gallant has also threatened to launch large-scale attacks on several other places in Gaza in the near future.
The intersection is a main junction on the route of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza. Israel retaliated by launching an air strike on a location in Gaza Strip, near the city of Rafah, on Sunday.
Health officials in Palestine reported that an Israeli attack hit a civilian home, resulting in at least 19 deaths including children.
Palestinian residents carry a wounded man rescued from the rubble of a house destroyed by Israel's attack in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, May 5, 2024.
The Israeli military has confirmed the retaliatory strike. According to Israel, the attack was aimed at the launch site where Hamas projectiles were fired and military structures nearby.
"The launch carried out by Hamas near the Rafah crossing is a clear example of the systematic exploitation carried out by the organization towards humanitarian facilities and spaces, and they continue to use the civilian population of Gaza as human shields," stated the Israeli military.
Also read: Sharp Israeli-Hamas Differences Fail Combat Pause Negotiations
Hamas denies it uses civilians as human shields.
After the attack, the Israeli military closed the Kerem Shalom crossing. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid were prohibited from passing through there. Meanwhile, other crossing doors remained open.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) visited the Kerem Shalom border with Gaza in southern Israel on May 1, 2024.
The closure of Kerem Shalom occurred shortly after the World Food Programme (WFP) Chief, Cindy McCain, mentioned a significant hunger crisis in northern Gaza. The hunger crisis has spread to southern Gaza as well. Meanwhile, Israel does not provide adequate access for aid delivery to Gaza at the same time.
Also read: Gaza Tragedy, Palestinians Forced to Consume Animal Feed
"At present, we have a mass outside the border, an adequate number of trucks, and enough food for 1.1 million people for about three months. We need to incorporate that," said McCain in an interview with NBC.
The Head of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, has called for an investigation into Israel's neglect of humanitarian workers. This week alone, he stated that Israel refused him entry into Gaza for the second time.
Humanitarian aid boxes with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) logo were seen at the Kerem Shalom border with Gaza Strip, southern Israel, on May 1, 2024.
Raid Al Jazeera
The Israeli government also raided and ordered the closure of the local offices of satellite news network Al Jazeera in Israel. They argued that the media headquartered in Qatar was broadcasting anti-Israel incitement. This Israeli ban did not stop Al Jazeera's reporting.
"The Al Jazeera journalist has jeopardized Israeli security and incited the military. It's time to wipe out Hamas' propaganda from our country," said Netanyahu in a statement.
The Al Jazeera media network has criticized the Israeli government's decision to shut down its operations in Israel. The action is deemed as a criminal act. Through a written statement, the media outlet stated that the oppression of press freedom is contrary to international law and humanity.
"The Al Jazeera media network strongly condemns criminal actions that violate human rights and the basic right to access information. Al Jazeera asserts its right to continue providing news and information to global audiences," the network stated. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)
