Military pressures push Hamas to maintain negotiation options

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A Hamas leader calls on mediators to force the occupation to halt the war and begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire, denying the introduction of new conditions.

A Hamas official confirmed on Wednesday that the movement has not closed the door to negotiations despite the violent airstrikes carried out by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, and called on mediators to oblige the Israeli state to implement the ceasefire agreement.

After midnight, on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, the Israeli Air Force launched strikes on several areas in Gaza, killing 13 Palestinians, including children, according to the civil defense reports in the besieged Gaza Strip.

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On Tuesday, Israel carried out the heaviest airstrikes on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect on January 19, killing over 400 people, according to the Health Ministry affiliated with the movement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the strikes were “just the beginning,” emphasizing that military pressure is “indispensable” to ensure the return of the hostages held by Hamas.

On Wednesday, the media adviser to the head of Hamas‘s political bureau, Taher al-Nounou, stated: “Hamas has not closed the door to negotiations, and there is no need for new agreements as an agreement has already been signed by all parties.”

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He added, “We have no new conditions, but we demand the occupation immediately stop its aggression and genocidal war and begin negotiations for the second phase, as this is part of the signed agreement.”

This escalation raises fears of a return to large-scale war in Gaza, where Israel launched a devastating military operation in response to Hamas‘s attack on October 7, 2023.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Wednesday that the Israeli airstrikes “dissipate the tangible hopes of many Israelis and Palestinians to end the suffering of all parties.”

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European Union Foreign Affairs Chief Kaya Kalas also said that the EU had informed Israel that the recent airstrikes on Gaza were “unacceptable.”

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that negotiations for the release of hostages still held in Gaza “will no longer take place except under fire,” believing that military pressure is “indispensable” for their return.

In a televised address on Tuesday evening, responding to a statement by the Forum of Families of Israeli Hostages, he added: “Hamas has felt our strength in the past 24 hours. And I want to confirm to you and them: This is just the beginning.”

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During Hamas‘s attack on Israel, 251 people were kidnapped, of whom 58 remain in Gaza, and Israel claims 34 of them have been killed.

The Gaza Civil Defense reported that 13 Palestinians, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes conducted after midnight, targeting several areas in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said, “The occupation carried out several airstrikes at midnight and early this morning, killing 13 martyrs, including several children and women, and dozens of wounded,” adding that the strikes targeted “displaced tents in Khan Younis and a house in Gaza City.”

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The Israeli army issued warnings on Wednesday for residents to evacuate “dangerous combat zones” in the north and south of Gaza.

Army spokesman Avichai Adraee issued an urgent message on X, warning Gaza residents, particularly in areas such as Beit Hanoun, Khirbat Khaza’a, Abasan al-Kabira, and Abasan al-Jadida, that they are “dangerous combat zones,” advising them to move to shelters in the west of Gaza City and the city of Khan Younis.

The Forum of Families of Hostages accused Netanyahu of “sacrificing” the hostages.

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In Tel Aviv, Aviv Yair Horn, a hostage released after the ceasefire went into effect, stated that “military pressure will not bring them back, we know this from experience.”

Netanyahu is facing pressure from his extremist allies opposed to a ceasefire. On Tuesday night, the government approved the return of far-right extremist Itamar Ben Gvir as National Security Minister, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Ben Gvir had withdrawn from the coalition in January in protest against the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza, but his party announced its return on Tuesday, shortly after Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza.

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The Israeli government stated on Tuesday that the strikes were carried out in “full coordination” with its main ally, the United States, which believes Hamas “chose war” by refusing to release the hostages.

Hamas, for its part, called on Tuesday “friendly countries and those supporting the justice of the Palestinian cause” to exert pressure on the U.S. administration to “stop this aggression and the genocide war against innocent civilians.”

The first phase of the ceasefire lasted six weeks, during which 33 hostages were released, including eight bodies, in exchange for more than 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. While Israel expressed support for a U.S. proposal to extend the ceasefire until mid-April, Hamas insisted that negotiations for the second phase must begin, which should end the war and lead to the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all of Gaza.

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Indirect negotiations began last week in Doha for a permanent ceasefire, but both delegations left the Qatari capital on Friday without progress.

During the first phase, Israel allowed the entry of more humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, before suspending its entry on March 2.

To move to the second phase, Israel demands the departure of Hamas‘s leadership from Gaza, where the movement has governed since 2007, as well as the dismantling of its armed wing and disarmament.

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Hamas‘s attack resulted in 1,218 Israeli deaths, most of whom were civilians, according to a tally from AFP based on official Israeli figures, including hostages killed in captivity.

The war in Gaza has led to at least 48,577 deaths, most of whom were civilians, including women and children, according to data from the Health Ministry run by Hamas, which the United Nations considers reliable. This toll does not include Tuesday and Wednesday’s casualties.

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