Gaza
Israel and Hamas accuse each other
TT
Updated 21.20 | Published 10.52
Israel cannot accept Hamas' demands for an end to the Gaza war, states Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya accuses Netanyahu of sabotaging the peace process, and assures that the Palestinian movement is set on a ceasefire.
Netanyahu has a difficult balancing act, when he negotiates a ceasefire but at the same time sticks to Israel's goal of crushing the extremist movement Hamas.
- We cannot accept a situation where Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of the Gaza Strip again, build up their military infrastructure and again threaten the people of Israel, says the Prime Minister at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.
"Wants to reach an agreement"
At the same time, Haniya, Hamas's top political leader, speaks out in a communiqué in which Netanyahu is accused of "an eternal stream of invented excuses to continue the attacks". He urges the US to "stop this instead of providing the occupation with weapons of mass destruction".
But Haniya, who lives in exile in Qatar, still says he is committed to peace:
"The Hamas movement still wants to reach a deep agreement in phases that ends the hostilities, ensures retreat and establishes a serious prisoner exchange," he claims, according to Arab and Israeli media.
At the same time, Haniya, Hamas's top political leader, speaks out in a communiqué in which Netanyahu is accused of "an eternal stream of invented excuses to continue the attacks". He urges the US to "stop this instead of providing the occupation with weapons of mass destruction".
But Haniya, who lives in exile in Qatar, still says he is committed to peace:
"The Hamas movement still wants to reach a deep agreement in phases that ends the hostilities, ensures retreat and establishes a serious prisoner exchange," he claims, according to Arab and Israeli media.
Pending a settlement, the war in the Gaza Strip continues. Here, a woman is rescued after an Israeli air strike against Rafah on the night of Saturday. Photo: AP
Israel not in place
Over the weekend, terrorist-branded Hamas was in Cairo to agree, together with mediators Egypt and Qatar, plus the United States, on details of the proposals on the table.
- An approval is very close, says a high-ranking Arab source to Sky News Arabia, reports media in Israel.
The Hamas delegation went to Qatar on Sunday for further consultations, with plans to return to Cairo on Tuesday. According to a source with access to the talks, American CIA director Bill Burns is on his way to Doha for talks with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abd al-Rahman al-Thani, writes AFP.
Israel did not participate in the weekend talks.
Over the weekend, terrorist-branded Hamas was in Cairo to agree, together with mediators Egypt and Qatar, plus the United States, on details of the proposals on the table.
- An approval is very close, says a high-ranking Arab source to Sky News Arabia, reports media in Israel.
The Hamas delegation went to Qatar on Sunday for further consultations, with plans to return to Cairo on Tuesday. According to a source with access to the talks, American CIA director Bill Burns is on his way to Doha for talks with Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abd al-Rahman al-Thani, writes AFP.
Israel did not participate in the weekend talks.
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