Hamas is demanding that Israel lift its debilitating 17-year-long blockade on Gaza, and that Israeli forces fully withdraw from the territory in the initial stage of the US-mediated ceasefire proposal, reports Middle East Eye.
According to amendments submitted to Egyptian and Qatari mediators earlier this week, Hamas demanded an end to the siege on Gaza which would allow the free movement of people and goods into the territory.
The Israeli land, air and sea blockade, which began after Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, has left the more than two million Palestinians living there in conditions described by rights groups as an open-air prison.
Israel’s public rationale for imposing the siege has been focused on the security of its citizens and holding Hamas, which it considers to be a terrorist group, accountable for rocket attacks on them.
Israel prevents Palestinian authorities from operating an airport or seaport in Gaza, and sharply restricts the entry and exit of goods.
Since the war erupted in mid-October, famine has engulfed several parts of the enclave and nearly the entire population relies on foreign aid to survive. The cost of damage to critical infrastructure is estimated at around $18.5bn, with nearly all schools, hospitals, power plants and roads destroyed.