Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has essentially rejected the Gaza ceasefire proposal unveiled last week by US President Joe Biden, demanding a full withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Palestinian enclave as a condition of any plan to halt the fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Haniyeh said on Wednesday that Hamas would insist on a permanent end to the deadly confrontation, contrary to the phased approach proposed in the plan that Biden announced last week. \u201cThe movement and factions of the resistance will deal seriously and positively with any agreement that is based on a comprehensive ending of the aggression and the complete withdrawal and prisoner swap,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A senior Hamas official has confirmed to Reuters<\/a> that Haniyeh\u2019s comments could be taken as the group\u2019s response to the Biden-backed ceasefire proposal. The plan already appeared to be in jeopardy. Even though it was billed as having been proposed by West Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his government wouldn\u2019t compromise on its war objectives, including the destruction of Hamas. Two members of Netanyahu\u2019s cabinet threatened to resign, which would cause the ruling coalition to collapse, if the ceasefire was approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three-part proposal calls for starting with a six-week ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. It also includes increased deliveries of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave, as well as an exchange of some Hamas hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel. It would eventually advance to a permanent end to the fighting and a reconstruction initiative for Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is truly a decisive moment,\u201d Biden said<\/a> when he pitched the plan last Friday. \u201cHamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden has repeatedly claimed that Israel and Hamas were on the verge of agreeing to a temporary ceasefire. For instance, he suggested in February that Netanyahu\u2019s government had agreed to pause combat operations by the start of Ramadan, March 10. US officials told Reuters that Biden purposefully announced the latest proposal without notifying Israeli leaders in the hopes of preventing Netanyahu from backing away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ MORE:\u2002Israel won\u2019t give up on \u2018absolute victory\u2019 \u2013 Netanyahu<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The war began in October, when Hamas fighters launched surprise attacks on villages in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza. Over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israeli forces began bombarding the territory, according to the enclave\u2019s health authorities. At least 30 were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a school on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leaders of the US and 16 other nations issued a joint statement<\/a> on Thursday urging Hamas to accept the latest ceasefire proposal. \u201cIt is time for the war to end, and this deal is the necessary starting point,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n