Efforts continue to advance Gaza peace talks: Hamas

Gaza: Hamas said that Egyptian and Qatari mediators are continuing efforts to finalise the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and initiate the second phase of negotiations.

In a press statement, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Al-Qanou said on Tuesday that Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been working to complete the ceasefire agreement and move forward with the second phase of negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.

“There are positive signs in this regard,” said Al-Qanou, adding that Hamas is prepared to engage in upcoming negotiations in a manner that meets the demands of the Palestinian people.

He also called for increased efforts to provide humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip and lift the ongoing blockade.

According to Al-Qanou, a Hamas leadership delegation arrived in Cairo on Monday and discussed mechanisms for initiating the second phase of negotiations.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas leader Abdul Rahman Shadid stated in a televised conference that Israel continues its “criminal policies” against Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

He accused Israel of killings, displacement, mass arrests, blocking food and medical aid, and closing border crossings — worsening the humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

Shadid highlighted that Israel’s military operation in Jenin and its refugee camp has entered its 51st day, while similar actions in Tulkarm and its camps, Nour Shams and Tulkarm, have continued for 43 days.

He described these operations as part of Israel’s broader strategy to expand settlements and impose a new reality on Palestinian territories.

–IANS