Gaza begins Ramadan without ceasefire

International hopes of reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan were dashed on Sunday, hours before Palestinians and other Muslims were to begin the month of daytime fasting, as Hamas pushed back on its demands for a comprehensive ceasefire. which Israel has rejected.

Egypt, Qatar and the United States had tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas before the start of Ramadan on Monday, and there was optimism about a last-minute deal that would allow the release of some Israeli hostages held in Gaza were held. Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

But weeks of indirect negotiations have stalled, and a top Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a televised speech on Sunday that Hamas wanted a deal that would end the war, guarantee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and displaced Palestinians would return to their country. homes and meet the humanitarian needs of Gazans.

Israel “wants to get its prisoners back and then resume the war against our people,” he said.

Mr. Haniyeh said that if the mediators informed Hamas that Israel was committed to ending the war, withdrawing from Gaza and allowing the return of displaced persons to the north, the Islamist group would be willing to show flexibility regarding to the issue of exchanging Palestinian refugees. prisoners for hostages.

“The enemy must understand that he will pay a price for the issue of an exchange, but the top priority is to protect our people, end the aggression and massacres, return the displaced to their homes, and open a political horizon for our issue and people,” he said.

Some Palestinians in Gaza have criticized Hamas, arguing that the group held up negotiations to pressure Israel to release more Palestinian prisoners.

In a interview with Politics Published on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel suggested that a ceasefire is not imminent. He said he would “like to see another hostage release” but that there had been no breakthrough in negotiations.

“Without release there will be no lull in the fighting,” he said.

Israel has said it must destroy Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities in Gaza before agreeing to end the war. It has also said that a key goal of the war was the return of all hostages taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.

On Friday, David Barnea, the head of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, met with CIA Director William J. Burns in an effort to reach an agreement on the release of hostages, Israel’s spy agency said. The Mossad accused Hamas of trying to inflame the region at the expense of Palestinians in Gaza, but said the ongoing talks were aimed at narrowing the rift between Israel and Hamas.

In an interview with MSNBC on Saturday, President Biden said he remained hopeful that the United States could still help broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as Ramadan approached, marking a month full of family celebrations and late-night partying started.

“I think it’s always possible,” Mr. Biden said.