The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it will not agree to any ceasefire deal that does not guarantee a complete halt to Israel’s military offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Bassem Na’eem, a senior Hamas official, said that the resistance movement had informed mediators of its readiness to engage in a new round of negotiations, but not based on the proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Witkoff came back to us with a paper that is completely different from the one we had previously approved. It contains vague wording that does not guarantee a halt to the war on Gaza.”
Na’eem said many countries, including Israel’s closest allies, have become convinced that Benjamin Netanyahu is the main obstacle to reaching a ceasefire deal.
“We will not miss any opportunity to stop the war and ease the suffering of our people, provided there is a credible guarantee,” he said.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.
The new resolution “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties.”
Underlining the “catastrophic humanitarian situation” in the Palestinian territory, the resolution additionally demands the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The United States, however, plans to veto the resolution, Axios reported.
It is the Security Council’s first vote on the subject since November 2024, when the US blocked a text calling for an end to the Israeli campaign of genocide.
On Tuesday, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, urged the council to act.
“All of us will be judged by history as to how much we have done in order to stop this crime against the Palestinian people,” he said.
Israel has allowed some aid to enter Gaza in recent days, under a controversial scheme backed by the US, but aid organizations say far from enough is getting in.
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is under fire for going against long-standing aid principles by coordinating relief efforts with a military belligerent.
Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that the newly established aid distribution sites run by the GHF had become “death traps” for starving civilians and a displacement tool.
At a joint press conference on February 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump stood alongside Benjamin Netanyahu and declared that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip.”
Nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed in the latest Israeli attacks across Gaza as the regime warns Palestinians against approaching roads to aid distribution sites.
At least 54,607 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 125,341 injured in the brutal Israeli campaign since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
