CAIRO, November 2. /TASS/. The Palestinian Hamas movement believes that the proposals on a temporary ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip are only meant to "pull the wool" over everyone's eyes, as they do not provide any guarantees for the fulfillment of the Palestinians' basic demands, but merely serve as a cover for further escalation on the part of the Israeli authorities, the radical organization's spokesman Izzat al-Risheq said.
According to his statement published on the movement's Telegram channel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Netanyahu is using the negotiations [with Hamas] as a cover to continue his aggression." Al-Risheq believes that "the proposal for a truce [in Gaza] for a few days is designed only to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, as it does not imply an end to Israel's aggression, the withdrawal of its troops from the enclave or the return of displaced persons."
Al-Risheq confirmed that Hamas "welcomes the initiatives that guarantee the fulfillment of these demands."
Moreover, according to the spokesman, "the role-swapping game between the [Israeli] occupation authorities and the US administration continues in both Lebanon and the Gaza Strip."
On November 1, the Palestinian Maan news agency, close to Hamas, reported that the movement rejected the initiative proposed by mediators in indirect talks with Israel. The initiative aimed to establish a temporary ceasefire and facilitate the exchange of a limited number of hostages for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, but Hamas stated that the proposal did not meet the organization's fundamental demands.
According to the radicals' spokesman, "the proposals put forward do not meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, nor do they include the restoration of infrastructure or the resumption of normal operations at the crossings, especially the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt." He stated that Hamas, familiar with the mediators' ideas, reiterated its position that the Palestinians "seek a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of [Israeli] occupation troops from the Strip and the lifting of the siege on the enclave, the return of displaced persons to their homes, and a comprehensive agreement to exchange" hostages for Palestinian prisoners.