CAIRO/GAZA, March 19 – Hamas has not ruled out negotiations but insists there is no need for new agreements, a senior official from the Palestinian Islamist group said on Wednesday, as Israel launched its most intense bombardment of Gaza since a January 19 ceasefire.
“Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations, but we insist there is no need for new agreements,” Taher al-Nunu told AFP from Cairo, urging Israel to be compelled to implement the ceasefire.
The truce, brokered under former U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, outlined a phased process, with Israeli forces expected to withdraw from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire taking effect in the second stage. However, fighting has resumed, with Hamas accusing Israel of violating the agreement.
“We have no conditions, but we demand that the occupation immediately halt its aggression and war of extermination and begin the second phase of negotiations,” Nunu said, calling on the international community to take urgent action.
On Tuesday, Israel launched its deadliest wave of airstrikes since the ceasefire, killing more than 400 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry. The strikes were part of Israeli efforts to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages.
Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that another 13 people were killed in fresh Israeli attacks overnight. The truce, mediated by Qatar, the U.S., and Egypt, took effect more than 15 months into the war, which was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023
