Hamas says it won’t free any extra hostages till Israel ends its conflict in Palestine forward of ceasefire talks in Cairo

Hamas has threatened to not launch any extra hostages except Israel agrees to finish its conflict within the Palestinian territories.

The warning got here as the fear group’s chief landed in Cairo for talks over a ceasefire.

Ismail Haniyeh flew into Egypt from his house in Qatar – prompting hopes {that a} new wave of releases may very well be imminent.

The militant chief usually wades publicly into diplomacy when progress appears doubtless. However US President Joe Biden warned final night time that he didn’t count on a deal to be struck quickly given the nice divide between Israel and Hamas.

Israel has insisted all remaining ladies and infirm males should be launched and accepts it could should launch Palestinians convicted of significant offences in return.

Negotiations are difficult as one other Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, holds a number of the 129 remaining hostages in Gaza

However Hamas says it is going to solely focus on a everlasting ceasefire in trade for hostages, reasonably than a short lived halt to hostilities, which Tel Aviv won’t conform to.

A Palestinian official mentioned: ‘Hamas‘s stance stays, they do not have a want for humanitarian pauses. Hamas desires a whole finish to the Israeli conflict on Gaza.’

Responding to the claims, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned: ‘We cannot cease combating till we have achieved all of the goals we have set ourselves – the elimination of Hamas, the discharge of our hostages and the tip of the risk from Gaza.’

Negotiations are additionally difficult as one other Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, has a number of the 129 hostages in Gaza. It mentioned its chief would additionally go to Egypt to attempt to deliver a attainable finish to the conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has mentioned the world should stress Hamas, not simply Israel, after vast international criticism of Israel‘s army marketing campaign in Gaza.

‘There appears to be silence on what Hamas might do, ought to do, should do if we need to finish the struggling of harmless males, ladies and youngsters,’ he mentioned. ‘It will be good if the world might unite round that proposition as effectively.’

Mr Blinken additionally mentioned he hoped for a optimistic consequence on a second UN Safety Council decision calling for a ceasefire.

Final night time, the Safety Council postponed the vote in New York calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as diplomats battle to agree on the language of the draft decision. Members have been wrangling over the wording because the vote was first scheduled for Monday.

The most recent model stops wanting utilizing the phrase ‘ceasefire’ and focuses as an alternative on humanitarian entry into Gaza.

Mr Blinken indicated that the humanitarian challenge was the sticking level, with Israel insisting on full management of provides that enter the blockaded Palestinian territory. ‘The aim of the decision as said by the international locations that put it ahead is to facilitate and develop humanitarian help that is entering into Gaza, and we totally assist that,’ he mentioned. ‘We have been engaged on this intensely. I hope we are able to get to a very good place.’

It got here as fierce combating continued to rage in northern Gaza, though Israel had insisted it had largely subdued Hamas resistance there final month. The Palestinian Crimson Crescent mentioned the Israel Defence Forces had besieged its ambulance depot in Jabalia, a northern settlement that has been embattled for weeks. There are 127 folks within the facility together with staff and the wounded.

Within the south, the place most Palestinian civilians are sheltering after fleeing different areas, there was intense combating across the centre of Khan Younis, which Israeli troopers have partly stormed.