GAZA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — Hamas said on Sunday that it had agreed to a partial prisoner exchange deal with Israel and was ready for a comprehensive truce deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected all solutions.
In a press statement, Hamas said Netanyahu’s approval of the “Gaza occupation plan” after the movement agreed to the proposal of Egyptian and Qatari mediators last week showed his “insistence on obstructing the agreement.”
Hamas emphasized that a ceasefire agreement was the only way to release all Israeli hostages and held Netanyahu fully responsible for their fate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had instructed officials to begin “immediate negotiations” for the release of hostages in Gaza and an end to the war, while also vowing to approve military plans to seize Gaza City.
Netanyahu did not say how or where the negotiations would begin. Israel’s Ynet news site, citing a senior official, reported that no delegation is expected to depart for Doha or Cairo at this stage. ■