GAZA, Mar 3 (NNN-WAFA) – Israel will only be able to “get its captives back” through a prisoner exchange deal, senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi said yesterday, in a press statement.
“The regime’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is delusional, if he thinks he can achieve his goals through the starvation war imposed on the Gaza Strip,” Mardawi said.
Mardawi reaffirmed Hamas’s refusal to extend the first phase of the agreement with Israel, stressing the need to implement all its phases as originally signed.
He also called on mediators to ensure Israel adhered to the terms of the agreement, as agreed upon.
The first 42-day phase of the three-stage agreement between Hamas and Israel, which included increased humanitarian aid, expired on Saturday. Under the agreement, both sides were expected to negotiate a second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal and a permanent ceasefire.
However, on Friday, Israel presented a new framework that would extend the first phase for an additional 42 days, until after the Muslim and Jewish holidays of Ramadan and Passover, which end on Apr 20. Hamas said Saturday that, the Israeli proposal is “unacceptable.”
Yesterday, the regime Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said, Israel has decided “to prevent any entry of goods and supplies into Gaza” to pressure Hamas into accepting the extension proposal, which he said was put forth by U.S. Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff.– NNN-WAFA
