Hamas announced on Tuesday the start of contacts and negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The movement’s spokesman, Abdul Latif Al-Qanou, explained in a statement to “Shihab News Agency” that the work in this phase focuses on shelter, relief, and reconstruction of what was destroyed by the aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Qanou’ pointed out that the Israeli occupation is obstructing the implementation of the humanitarian protocol for the ceasefire agreement, accusing it of evasion and procrastination. He pointed out that relief and shelter issues are an urgent humanitarian priority that cannot tolerate any delay or procrastination.
The spokesman emphasized that rebuilding hospitals, repairing roads, and water wells is an essential step to restore life to normal after the massive destruction that befell the Gaza Strip. He also pointed out that the operation at the Tayasir checkpoint east of Tubas came as a response to the ongoing Israeli escalation in the West Bank, stressing the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves.
He added that the absence of international accountability and the world’s silence encourage the occupation to commit more crimes against the Palestinians, indicating that all the occupation’s attempts to eliminate the existence of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank are doomed to failure.
It is noteworthy that the Hamas movement reached a ceasefire agreement with the Israeli occupation in the middle of last month, and the armistice entered into force on the 19th of January after a fifteen-month war in the Gaza Strip.
The agreement stipulates three stages, the first of which begins with a 42-day ceasefire, including the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from crowded areas, the exchange of prisoners and hostages, and facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid and the return of displaced persons, with negotiations during this period on the details of the next two stages.
