CAIRO: Hamas raised the stakes in talks for a Gaza cease-fire on Wednesday by urging Palestinians to march to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque at the beginning of Ramadan.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas, made the request in response to Joe Biden’s remarks, which were aired on Tuesday, stating that there was a basic understanding for Israel and Hamas to maintain a ceasefire during Ramadan provided Palestinian detainees were freed.
Biden expressed his optimism that a deal of this kind, which, according to a source, would also enable additional supplies to reach the beleaguered Palestinian enclave and result in the release of Palestinian prisoners, might be completed by March 4, just a few days before the month-long fast begins.
Israel said that it will permit Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, but it would impose restrictions based on what it called security needs. This could likely lead to conflicts if large numbers of Palestinians attend, especially while the Gaza War is still ongoing.
In a televised statement, Haniyeh declared, “This is a call on our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to Al Aqsa since the first day of Ramazan.” He claimed that although Hamas was willing to negotiate with Israel, it was also prepared to carry on with its military campaign.
He said, “It is the responsibility of the Arab and Islamic countries to take the initiative to expose the starvation conspiracy in Gaza,” alluding to what the Palestinians claim is an intentional Israeli strategy of depriving them of food.
Moscow negotiations
The creation of a single Palestinian administration and the reconstruction of Gaza will be the topics of a meeting between Hamas and Fatah leaders on Thursday in Moscow, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, which quoted the Palestinian envoy.
A similar meeting was scheduled, as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov revealed to RIA Novosti.
Health officials in Palestine said that the death toll had increased to 29,954. In Gaza, numerous others remain concealed beneath the debris of collapsed structures.
