PARIS, May 6. /TASS/. The Palestinian radical movement Hamas considers it futile to continue negotiations with Israel on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip while the conflict and blockade of the enclave persist, said Basem Naim, the movement’s senior official.
"There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip," Naim told France's AFP news agency. He also called on the international community to exert "pressure" on Israeli authorities to thereby "put an end to the crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings."
Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that humanitarian aid centers and markets in the Gaza Strip have run out of food supplies. According to the organization, the food situation in Gaza has reached its worst level over the past 19 months, as essential food supplies have run out in both markets and distribution hubs. Earlier, the organization also reported that the Palestinian enclave lacked basic necessities and personal hygiene supplies.
On Monday, the Ynet news website wrote, citing sources, that Israel’s war cabinet approved a plan to intensify the Gaza military operation that stipulates the possibility of occupying the enclave. Israeli Government Spokesman David Mencer told reporters that the plan to expand the military operation in the enclave includes seizing more area and holding it under control, not occupying the territory. According to the Kan state broadcaster, the expanded military operation has been dubbed "Gideon’s Chariots" and is aimed at "defeating Hamas forces in Gaza" and "securing the release of all hostages."
On March 18, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out airstrikes on Hamas strongholds in the Gaza Strip, thus ending the ceasefire established in January this year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel had resumed military operations in Gaza after Hamas rejected the US proposals put forward by mediators and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The office stated that the Israeli military had resumed strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza to facilitate the release of hostages and that the army would escalate its campaign in the enclave. The radicals have blamed the United States for the renewed Israeli offensive.