Hamas, on Sunday, rejected new Israeli conditions introduced in the Gaza ceasefire talks, further delaying the chances of a breakthrough in the latest effort to end the 10-month-old attacks on the region.
Months of erratic talks have not produced an accord to end Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza, or free the remaining hostages seized by Hamas in the group’s October 7 attack on Israel that led to an escalation in hostilities.
Areas of contention in the ongoing talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar include an Israeli presence in the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5 km-long stretch of land along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
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Hamas said Israel has backtracked on a commitment to withdraw troops from the Corridor and put forward other new conditions, including the screening of displaced Palestinians as they return to the enclave’s more heavily populated north when the ceasefire begins.
