The United States rejects the demands of ‘impractical’ Hamas since Gaza’s truce is in balance

The conversations to extend the high Gaza’s fire have not reached an agreement, a Palestinian official told the BBC, since the United States accused Hamas of making “completely little practical” demands at Qatar meetings.

Negotiators have been trying to find a path to follow after the first phase of the temporal truce ended on March 1.

The United States proposed to extend the first phase until mid -April, including an additional exchange of hosts in the hands of Palestinian Hamas and prisoners in the possession of Israel.

But the unidentified Palestinian official said that Israel and Hamas did not agree on the key aspects of the agreement established by the Envoy of East Steve Witkoff in the indirect conversations.

Israel has not yet commented, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would receive a report from the Israel negotiation team later on Saturday.

The White House accused Hamas of making “completely little practical” demands in his response to Witkoff’s proposal.

The fire would extend to April, but delay the negotiation of a permanent end of the war.

A statement from the Witkoff office and the United States National Security Council said Friday: “Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on his side. It is not.”

“Hamas is very aware of the deadline, and should know that we will respond accordingly if that deadline passes.”

A HAMA statement seen by the BBC said the negotiations had broken down.

Netanyahu’s office had said that Israel accepted the proposal of the United States.

He said that Hamas remained “firm in his rejection and has not moved a millimeter”, accusing the group of “manipulation and psychological war.”

Israel and Hamas agreed a high fire agreement that involves three stages In January, after 15 months of war.

In the first stage, Hamas returned to 25 live Israeli hostages, the remains of another eight and five live Thai hostages. Israel released about 1,800 Palestinian prisoners in return.

The agreement says that stage two will include the remaining living hostages in Gaza exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.

But both parties currently disagree on the number of hostages that will be launched below.

They also do not agree on the withdrawal of the Israeli troops of Gaza, which the states of the original agreement should be happening at this point.

Israel resists this point, while Hamas insists that it should happen.

Israel has stopped all help and electricity to Gaza, including food and fuel, saying that it aims to press Hamas.

It is believed that Hamas still has up to 24 hostages live in Gaza and the remains of another 35.

While indirect conversations continued on Friday, the group said in a statement that it was ready to free the last Israeli-American hostage that is known to be having.

Edan Alexander, 21, was serving as Israeli soldier near Gaza when he was taken.

According to the terms of the original high fire agreement, it was expected that it would have been among the last hostages to be released.

The group also said that it would deliver the remains of four other dual nationals captured during the attacks of October 7, 2023.

He did not give more details or make clear what he would demand in return.

Witkoff dismissed the offer, saying that Hamas was trying to look flexible in public while it was not practical in private.

The attacks led by Hamas on October 7, 2023 killed more than 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, with 251 hostages.

The assault triggered an Israeli military offensive that since then has killed more than 48,520 people, most of them civilians, according to figures of the Ministry of Health of Hamas, which are used by the UN and others.

Most of the population of 2.1 million Gaza has been displaced several times.

An estimated 70% of buildings They have been damaged or destroyed, health, water and sanitation systems have collapsed and there is a shortage of food, fuel, medicine and refuge.