Cease-fire talks with Israel stalled despite US optimism, Hamas tells Türkiye
Pro-Palestine protesters participate in the "Not Another Bomb" rally outside the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Aug. 18, 2024. (EPA Photo)

Israel remains insistent on conditions Hamas rejects and refuses to respond to mediators’ proposals in negotiations to end Israel’s deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip, Hamas tells Turkish officials



Negotiations with Israel for a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage deal are stalled despite mediator United States "painting a rosy picture," Palestinian resistance group Hamas told Türkiye on Sunday.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Hamas officials contacted Türkiye over the weekend and provided information about the negotiation process with Israel.

The officials pointed out that although the Americans portrayed the progress of the negotiations in an optimistic manner, this was not actually the case.

According to Hamas, the conditions put forward by Israel have even fallen short of the scenario supported by the U.N. Security Council on June 10 and the conditions approved by Hamas on July 2.

It stressed that Israel wants Hamas to accept Israel's presence in the Philadelphi Corridor, to control the checkpoints in the Netzarim Corridor and to monitor Gazans passing from south to north and to veto 100 names from a list of about 300 prisoners that Hamas wants to be released.

Another demand involves the number of Palestinians that Israel wants to be exiled from Gaza and Ramallah. In this context, Israel wants 200 people to leave Palestine.

The statement added that Israel did not even respond to the mediators' proposals in last week's talks.

According to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultimate goal is to buy time to continue military operations.

Indirect talks mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire and a hostage-prisoner swap. A weeklong truce in November saw the exchange of some of the around 250 people who were held during the Hamas incursion last October, in return for Palestinians held by Israel.

But Israeli army rearrested in the West Bank a Palestinian woman, who was released in the November exchange, bringing the total number of freed detainees arrested by Israel to 24, a prisoners' affairs group said on Monday.

Israel’s deadly military offensive against Gaza has killed more than 40,130 people since Oct. 7, 2023, while at least 635 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in occupied territories.

Tensions between Israel and Hamas escalated after the July 31 assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran's capital Tehran. The resistance group and Iran have blamed Israel for the attack, vowing revenge.

Türkiye has been fiercely critical of Israel’s brutal offensive in Gaza, which it and others say amounts to genocide. It has also slammed many Western allies for their support of Israel and repeatedly called for Muslim unity to facilitate a desperately needed cease-fire.

Ankara urges Israel to reciprocate the constructive approach of the Palestinians in cease-fire negotiations and the international community to pressure Netanyahu’s government.

Türkiye is a staunch supporter of Hamas, which it describes as a resistance movement, unlike the Western countries which mostly define it as a terrorist group, and hosted Haniyeh several times to discuss cease-fire efforts and the humanitarian aid crisis in the blockaded enclave.

It has formally applied to join South Africa's initiative to have Israel tried for genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

A legal delegation submitted a 43-page declaration to the World Court earlier this month for Türkiye to intervene in the case.

The move is Ankara’s efforts to step up measures against Israel over the assault on Gaza. The declaration details Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and cites Türkiye’s justifications for joining the case, which officials said complies with ICJ precedents and the court’s advisory ruling regarding Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Tensions between Israel and Türkiye have also risen sharply since the start of the war in Gaza as Ankara has cut off commercial ties with Tel Aviv, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly trading barbs with Netanyahu.