“LONG-TERM TRUCE”
Hamas has repeatedly demanded that the second phase of the truce – brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States – include a comprehensive hostage-prisoner exchange, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and the reopening of border crossings to end the blockade.
Spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that Hamas wanted the mediators to ensure Israel “complies with the agreement … and proceeds with the second phase according to the agreed-upon terms”.
Former US president Joe Biden had outlined a second phase involving hostage release and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces left in Gaza.
US envoy Adam Boehler, who held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas officials in recent days, told CNN on Sunday that a deal could be reached “within weeks” to secure the release of all remaining hostages, not just the five dual Israeli-US nationals, most of whom have been confirmed dead.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the Oct 7, 2023 attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed dead.
The US envoy told CNN a “long-term truce” was “real close”, but in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 that aired later on Sunday, he said Washington would back any Israeli decision, including a return to war.
“NOTHING AVAILABLE”
In late February, US President Donald Trump had issued what he called a “last warning” to Hamas, threatening further destruction if the group does not release all remaining hostages.
An earlier proposal from Trump to expel Palestinians from Gaza prompted Arab leaders to offer an alternative reconstruction plan without displacement.
The initial 42-day phase of the truce, which began on Jan 19, reduced hostilities after more than 15 months of relentless fighting that displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million people.
During this period, 25 living Israeli hostages and eight bodies were exchanged for the release of about 1,800 Palestinians in Israeli custody.
The truce also allowed in much-needed food, shelter and medical assistance.
After Israel cut off the aid flow on Mar 2, UN rights experts accused the government of “weaponising starvation”.
At a UN distribution of flour in Jabalia, northern Gaza, Abu Mahmoud Salman, 56, said that with the territory now closed off from fresh supplies, “there is nothing available”.
“The markets are empty … prices are high, and there is no income. The situation in Gaza is difficult,” he told AFP.
Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,467 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from both sides.
