Israel sets conditions for next phase of Gaza ceasefire deal

Jerusalem: Israel demands a demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and an end to Hamas’ rule in order to move on to the next phase of the ceasefire deal that took effect in January, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Tuesday.

“We don’t have an agreement on phase two,” Sa’ar said during a press briefing. “We demand total demilitarization of Gaza, (and) Hamas and Islamic Jihad out and give us our hostages.”

He added that if Hamas agreed to these demands, “we can implement (the deal) tomorrow.”

Referring to Israel’s move to block humanitarian aid to Gaza since early Sunday, Sa’ar claimed Hamas was exploiting the aid for its own purposes. He said humanitarian supplies have become the “number one budget income” for Hamas and a means of rebuilding the group’s military capabilities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the decision to block the aid aims to pressure Hamas into accepting a new proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, which he said was put forth by US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi has said in a press statement that Israel will only be able to “get its captives back” through a prisoner exchange deal,

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is delusional if he thinks he can achieve his goals through the starvation war imposed on the Gaza Strip,” Mardawi said on Sunday.

Mardawi reaffirmed Hamas’s refusal to extend the first phase of the agreement with Israel, stressing the need to implement all its phases as originally signed.

He also called on mediators to ensure Israel adhered to the terms of the agreement, as agreed upon.

The first 42-day phase of the three-stage agreement between Hamas and Israel, which included increased humanitarian aid, expired on Saturday. Under the agreement, both sides were expected to negotiate a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire.

However, on Friday, Israel presented a new framework that would extend the first phase for an additional 42 days, until after the Muslim and Jewish holidays of Ramadan and Passover, which end on April 20. Hamas said Saturday that the Israeli proposal is “unacceptable.”

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has decided “to prevent any entry of goods and supplies into Gaza” to pressure Hamas into accepting the extension proposal, which he said was put forth by US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

IANS