Israel not willing to implement ceasefire deal: Hamas official

A senior Hamas official says the Israeli regime has not shown a “meaningful willingness” to implement the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, amid claims that the talks for the second phase are making progress.

"The Israeli occupation has so far shown no meaningful willingness to implement the first phase of the ceasefire agreement," Osama Hamdan told Ultra Palestine on Tuesday.   

He said the mediators, including the United States, should ensure that Israel abides by the deal.

His remarks on Israel’s failure to abide by the deal came after a US official said Washington was preparing to announce a transition into the second phase of the plan in the coming weeks.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said the second phase is "close", and he is expected to discuss it during his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House before the end of the month.

The second phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan concerns disarming Hamas, the further withdrawal of Israeli forces, the unveiling of a new governing body in Gaza, and the launching of an “International Stabilization Force” in the strip.

Hamdan noted that the second phase “requires a comprehensive national agreement and detailed dialogue on the issues on the table” among all Palestinian factions, adding that none of these issues can be discussed without a clear national consensus.

"We hope all factions, including Fatah, will meet together, because refraining from engaging in national issues does not reflect national responsibility. At this stage, it is expected that we rise above minor disputes in the face of the larger cause that concerns the Palestinian situation as a whole."

Regarding the Hamas disarmament, Hamdan underscored the Palestinian people’s right to resistance and its means, noting that the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state capable of defending its land and people will eliminate the need for other institutions to possess weapons.

“We have clearly affirmed that when a sovereign Palestinian state, which is [able to] defend its land and people and possesses the means of defense, is established, it is natural for everyone who defend the Palestinian people to be involved in the official institution concerned with that, and at this time we will not need any other non-official institutions to defend the land and people under the framework of the independent state."

The official also said the Palestinian people do not need “a guardian” and are capable of administering their own affairs. “Therefore, it is unacceptable for the Palestinian people to be placed under guardianship, nor is it acceptable for the will of another party to be imposed upon them.”

He said the role of any international forces to be deployed to Gaza “must be limited to protecting the Palestinian people and preventing” the resumption of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Hamas rules out 2nd phase of Gaza ceasefire while Israeli violations continue

A senior Hamas official says Israel has failed to meet obligations of first phase of Gaza ceasefire.

Israel has so far killed more than 70,000 Palestinians since launching the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.

Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran on Tuesday said the Gaza ceasefire plan cannot proceed to its second phase as long as Israeli “violations” persist, urging the mediators to pressure Israel to abide by the deal.

Badran said Israel should have reopened the Rafah crossing with Egypt and increased the volume of aid entering Gaza.

Under the initial steps of the ceasefire plan, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called “Yellow Line”, which runs down Gaza from north to south, though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.

The Israeli military's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, described the so-called "Yellow Line" as “a new border line" with Gaza.

Badran slammed Zamir’s comments, saying, “The statements... clearly reveal the criminal occupation’s lack of commitment to the ceasefire agreement.”

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