29 February 2024
Hamas called, on Wednesday, for Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque at the start of Ramadan, raising the stakes in ongoing negotiations for a truce in Gaza, which President Biden hopes will be in place by then, Reuters reports.
The call by Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, followed comments by Biden that an agreement could be reached between Israel and Hamas as soon as next week for a ceasefire during the Muslim fasting month.
Israel and Hamas, which both have delegations in Qatar this week hammering out details of a potential 40-day truce, have said there is still a big gulf between them, and the Qatari mediators say there is no breakthrough yet….
In the most serious push so far for an extended ceasefire, Hamas is weighing a proposal, agreed by Israel at talks with mediators in Paris, for a 40-day truce….
Haniyeh also called on the self-styled Axis of Resistance – allies of Iran, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq – as well as Arab states, to step up their support for Palestinians in Gaza suffering under Israel’s assault and blockade.
“It is the duty of the Arab and Islamic nations to take the initiative to break the starvation conspiracy in Gaza,” Haniyeh said.