AFP
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Hamas yesterday rejected a ceasefire to end 16 days of deadly fighting with Israel unless the blockade on the Gaza Strip is lifted, its chief Khalid Mishal said in Doha.
“We reject today... and will reject in the future” a ceasefire before negotiations on Hamas’s demands, which include lifting years of blockade against the Palestinian enclave, Mishal told reporters.
Lifting the eight-year blockade is a main demand of Hamas which also wants the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and Israel to free prisoners.
As international calls for an end to the fighting in Gaza mount, Mishal insisted that the Hamas group “welcomes all efforts to end the aggression” and “does not object” to mediation by any party, including Egypt.
“We will not accept any initiative that does not lift the blockade on our people and that does not respect their sacrifices,” he said.
Egypt had tried to broker truce between Israel and Hamas.
But Hamas had rejected the ceasefire proposal which it said was favourable to Israel.
It argues that Egypt’s proposal would allow Israel to dictate if and when to ease its blockade on Gaza.
“Let us agree on achieving our demands and we will then agree on the zero-hour for a ceasefire,” Mishal said.
He appealed to the international community and NGOs to “come to the aid of Gaza and not wait until after the war ends”.
“I call today for opening border crossings to allow the entry of aid convoys” to Gaza Strip which needs “fuel, food and electricity”, he said.
“We are more concerned (than any other party) about a humanitarian truce, like last Thursday... for evacuating casualties and assisting the population,” he said.
“We are not closing the door to a humanitarian truce... that would not manoeuvre around demands of the resistance,” he added.
Mishal insisted that his movement wanted the “aggression to stop tomorrow, today, or even this minute. But lift the blockade with guarantees and not as a promise for future negotiations”, he said, adding that “we will not shut the door in the face of any humanitarian ceasefire backed by a real aid programme”.
Charity Oxfam said yesterday that thousands of Palestinians had fled their homes but had nowhere safe to shelter from Israeli airstrikes and warned that supplies of water and food were dangerously low.
The 16-day conflict has so far killed 695 Gazans, 34 Israelis and a Thai worker.
“We do not want a war and we do not want it to continue, but we will not bow in front of it,” said Mishal.
“Nobody could disarm the resistance,” he said, setting two conditions to demilitarise Gaza, an Israeli demand: “The end of occupation and the disarmament of Israel.”
Earlier yesterday, the UN Human Rights Council launched a probe into the Gaza offensive, backing calls by the Palestinians to hold Israel to account despite fierce opposition from the Jewish state.
The decision came after a marathon seven-hour emergency session of the top UN human rights body in Geneva.
The 46-member council backed a Palestinian-drafted resolution by 29 votes, with Arab and fellow Muslim countries joined by China and Russia, plus Latin American and African nations.
The US was the sole member to vote against. The 17 abstentions were by the council’s European members, plus Japan and South Korea.
The probe team, yet to be appointed, is tasked with reporting back to the council by March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media office criticised it.
US ambassador Keith Harper warned the vote would undermine ceasefire efforts.
The session was called by Arab nations and fellow members of the Organisation of the Islamic Co-operation.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said Israel’s military actions could amount to war crimes, while at the same time condemning indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas.
“There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated, in a manner that could amount to war crimes,” Pillay told the council, citing attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians, including children.
She said Israelis also had a right to live without constant fear of rocket attacks.
The resolution condemned “the widespread, systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms” since Israel launched its offensive last month and called for the urgent deployment of an “independent, international commission of inquiry”.
Katara cancels Eid celebrations in solidarity with Gaza
Katara Cultural Village has decided to cancel celebrations marking Eid al-Fitr in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, who are going through untold suffering due to the ongoing Israeli aggression against them. A Katara statement said “what is happening to the Palestinian people is reflected on everyone”. Katara and Aspire Zone restaurants have decided to donate all revenues of today to the people of Gaza. The employees of Katara, Katara Hospitality and Aspire Zone have also announced that they will donate one day’s salary for the people of Gaza suffering from Israeli aggression.
Meanwhile, the Eid al-Fitr festival organising committee has announced cancellation of the Eid musical, entertainment activities and other programmes at Souq Waqif to express solidarity with the people of Gaza. Souq Waqif will only hold children’s programmes during Eid festivities, the committee said.
