U.S. urged to influence Israel for Gaza ceasefire by Hamas
A Palestinian fighter rests during the funeral procession of one of the five men killed in the Tubas area south of Jenin in an Israeli strike that targeted their car on September 5, 2024. (AFP Photo)
Hamas’s lead negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, has called on the United States to pressure Israel into agreeing to a truce in Gaza. In a video statement released Thursday, Hayya accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing efforts to reach a ceasefire.
“If the U.S. administration and its President (Joe) Biden truly seek a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange, they must move beyond their blind bias towards the Zionist occupation and apply genuine pressure on Netanyahu and his government,” Hayya said.
Despite months of negotiations facilitated by Washington, Doha, and Cairo, a resolution to the Gaza conflict remains elusive. Efforts to secure a hostage and prisoner exchange have also stalled.
The deadlock follows a recent development where Israeli authorities reported the recovery of six hostages’ bodies from a Gaza tunnel on Sunday. The announcement intensified calls for a resolution.
Netanyahu has accused Hamas of rejecting all proposals in the indirect talks, asserting that Israel is attempting to find a starting point for negotiations. “They (Hamas) refuse to do that… They said there’s nothing to talk about,” Netanyahu said.
A key issue has been Netanyahu’s insistence on maintaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor, which lies along the Gaza-Egypt border. Hayya on Thursday criticized Netanyahu for allegedly seeking to “evade the obligation to reach a ceasefire agreement.”
