Hamas rejects ‘new’ Gaza ceasefire conditions

Hamas has rejected new conditions in a Gaza ceasefire deal which were presented during the new round talks in Qatar.

However, US President Joe Biden is optimistic about the deal stating: “We are closer than we have ever been.”

It has been over 10 months since the war broke out between Israel and Hamas in Palestine, with nearly 40,000 people have been killed and million have been displaced in the country.

According to the US State Department, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be travelling to Israel this weekend to advance the latest proposal.

“Secretary Blinken will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the ability to finalise an agreement,” it said.

All parties are on their toes for the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, since the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in an attack in Iran.

Both Iran and the Palestinian group has blamed Israel for the killing and warned of consequences.

It is fear that war could spread across the Middle East if both parties fail to reach the deal

Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been seeking to finalise details of a framework initially outlined by Biden in May, and which he said Israel had proposed.

But months of talks have so far failed to pin down the details of a truce and hostage release deal.

An informed source told AFP that the conditions Hamas objected to included keeping Israeli troops on Gaza’s border with Egypt, and terms related to the release Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages.