Israel Refuses to Provide Map for Troop Withdrawal From Gaza Strip, Hamas Official Says
© Getty Images / Issam Rimawi/Anadolu
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - On Wednesday, Hamas said that Israel had put forward "new conditions" related to the withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip, ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners.
Israel has refused to provide a map for troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and commitments to end the conflict, Hamas political office member Basem Naim told Sputnik.
"This time, the enemy [Israel] refuses to provide clear withdrawal maps from the Gaza Strip, that is, it does not want to enshrine where and when it will pull out. It is unwilling to give clear and final words about ending the war," Naim said.
Naim also mentioned that the issue of weapons belonging to the Palestinian groups has not been raised during the negotiations on ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
"This issue is not on the negotiating table regarding the first ceasefire phase. Our stance, both in these negotiations and in others, is that the Palestinian people, as long as they are under occupation, have the right to get rid of the occupation and establish their own state, so they have the right to resist this occupation by all legitimate means, including armed resistance," he said.
More than a year has passed since the first hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was implemented, and since then the two sides have been negotiating through intermediaries over the fate of the remaining hostages. In recent weeks, intermediary talks have intensified in Cairo and Doha, with informed sources reporting progress.
