Hamas opposes large Israeli army presence

Palestinian resistance group Hamas yesterday said it opposes any ceasefire deal that includes a large Israeli military presence in Gaza.The group said late Wednesday that it had agreed to release 10 Israeli captives.Both sides have been holding indirect talks in Qatar since Sunday to agree a temporary truce and the United States says it is hopeful that a 60-day halt can be secured in the coming days.But Hamas said disagreements over the free flow of aid into Gaza and Israel’s military withdrawal were sticking points, as were its demands for "real guarantees” for a lasting peace.Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told AFP yesterday: "We cannot accept the perpetuation of the occupation of our land and the surrender of our people to isolated enclaves under the control of the occupation army (Israel)."This is what the negotiating delegation is presenting to the occupation so far in the current round of negotiations in Doha.”Hamas was particularly opposed to Israeli control over Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the so-called Morag Corridor between the southern city and Khan Younis, he added.Israel announced earlier this year that the army was seizing large areas in Gaza and incorporating them into buffer zones cleared of their inhabitants.Naim also said the group wanted an end to the current delivery of aid by a US- and Israel-backed group, a system which has seen scores killed while seeking handouts.Hamas said yesterday it also wants the free flow of aid into the territory to ease a humanitarian crisis, and "real guarantees” for a lasting peace.Hamas has given no timeline for the release of hostages or indications about the return of the bodies of nine detainees that Israel says have died in captivity.Its announcement came as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up a visit to Washington, which included a meeting between Israeli, US and Qatari representatives.Qatar, with fellow mediators the United States and Egypt, has brokered back-and-forth talks for a truce since the earliest days of the war but indirect talks have failed to bring about a durable end to hostilities.Netanyahu said yesterday that Israel was ready to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza during a 60-day truce but only if the Palestinian territory was demilitarised.US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the 20 living hostages still in Gaza, Netanyahu said on Wednesday."At the beginning of this ceasefire, we will enter negotiations for a permanent end to the war,” he said in a video message from Washington yesterday.He said Israel’s "fundamental conditions” were that "Hamas lays down its weapons” and no longer has "governing or military capabilities”.Rubio hopeful of ceasefireUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was "hopeful” about the prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza, telling reporters yesterday that negotiations were "closer” than they had been in some time. "We’re hopeful... It appears that generally the terms have been agreed to, but obviously now you need to have talks about how you implement those terms,” Rubio said on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian countries in Malaysia.