Hamas reiterated on Sunday that it is not ready to negotiate without an end to Israeli hostilities in the Gaza Strip. The position of Hamas is that they will not negotiate until the aggression against the Palestinian people is stopped once and for all – they announced from Hamas, reports DPA
“Hamas confirms its position that there will be no negotiations on the exchange of prisoners if the Zionist aggression against our people is not stopped once and for all,” they said from that group and added that this message was conveyed to all involved mediators.
Qatar is trying to mediate between Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement on a new humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Senior Israeli and Qatari officials are expected to meet in Norway to discuss the possibility of negotiating the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Neither side has officially confirmed those reports, reports DPA.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that only continued military pressure would lead to the release of all hostages from the Gaza Strip.
“Without that pressure, Israel would not have been able to ‘create the framework’ that led to the release of the hostages in November,” he said.
