Hamas says Israeli troops stickingpoint in truce asGaza pounded

AFP | Jerusalem

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Hamas yesterday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza, after offering to release some hostages and as the civil defence agency reported scores killed across the Palestinian territory.

The group said late Wednesday that it had agreed to release 10 people seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war.

Both sides have been holding indirect talks in Qatar since Sunday to agree a temporary truce and the United States says it is hopeful that a 60-day halt can be secured in the coming days.

But Hamas said disagreements over the free flow of aid into Gaza and Israel’s military withdrawal were sticking points, as were its demands for “real guarantees” for a lasting peace.

Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told AFP on Thursday: “We cannot accept the perpetuation of the occupation of our land and the surrender of our people to isolated enclaves under the control of the occupation army (Israel).

“This is what the negotiating delegation is presenting to the occupation so far in the current round of negotiations in Doha.”

Hamas was particularly opposed to Israeli control over Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Morag Corridor between the southern city and Khan Yunis, he added.

Israel announced earlier this year that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants.

Naim also said the group wanted an end to the current delivery of aid by a US- and Israel-backed group, a system which has seen scores killed while seeking handouts. On Thursday, eight children were among 17 killed in an Israeli strike outside a medical clinic in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, the civil defence agency said.

Rabih Torbay, the head of US medical charity Project Hope,which runs the facility, called it “ablatant violation of humanitarianlaw, and a stark reminder that noone and no place is safe in Gaza,even as ceasefire talks continue”.

Hamas called it “an atrociouscrime”.

Israel’s military said it hadstruck a Hamas man in the citywho had infiltrated Israel during the 2023 attack and that it“regrets any harm to uninvolvedindividuals”.

UN brings fuel into Gaza for first time in 130 days: spokesman

The United Nations managedto bring 75,000 liters of fuel intoGaza, the first in 130 days, thesecretary-general’s spokesmansaid yesterday, noting it wasstill far from enough to alleviate shortages in the war-tornterritory.

“We and our humanitarianpartners need hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel each dayto keep essential life-saving andlife-sustaining operations going,meaning that the amount enteredyesterday isn’t sufficient to covereven one day of energy requirement,” said Stephane Dujarric,warning that crucial services willshut down if more fuel does notenter Gaza immediately.