FALCON POWERS – The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday evening that the negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza between the Hamas movement and the Israeli occupation state have been suspended.
The channel quoted informed sources (which it did not name) as claiming that “the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, have adopted the positions of Hamas, which does not allow for a deal to be reached before Israel,” at a time when accusations are escalating within the Israeli community against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for obstructing any opportunities to reach a prisoner exchange deal with the Hamas movement.
The sources of the Israeli channel stated that the basic condition of the mediators, which was not raised in the negotiations two weeks ago, is the cessation of the war in exchange for the release of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip.
The sources added that “the gaps between the parties are very large, especially with regard to ending the war and Israel’s demand for the right of veto over the names of Palestinian prisoners that Hamas may demand to be released.”
Last Sunday, Hamas had announced that US President Joe Biden’s statements, in which he conditioned the ceasefire in Gaza on the release of the Israeli detainees in the Strip, was a retreat from the results of the last round of negotiations. Hamas also accused Netanyahu and his government in a statement of “rushing to “overthrow this course by embarking on his aggression against our people in Rafah, Jabaliya and Gaza.”
