Hamas demands full Israeli withdrawal in exchange for hostage release

A senior Hamas source on Tuesday said the group has demanded that any release of Israeli hostages be "directly tied to" a clear timetable for Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza, as the group's indirect negotiations with Israel continue in Egypt.

The Hamas delegation, during the negotiations in the Red Sea city of Sharm El Sheikh, insisted that "the release of the last hostage must coincide with the final Israeli pullout from Palestinian territories."

Meanwhile, Hamas's senior official Khalil al-Hayya, who is leading the Hamas delegation, told Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV channel on Tuesday that his group is ready "with all responsibility" to stop the conflict, and his delegation arrived in Egypt with the direct and explicit goal of achieving an immediate and permanent halt to the conflict as well as a prisoner-hostage swap.

The indirect Gaza ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, started on Monday. The talks center on implementing the 20-point peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which Hamas has recently accepted in principle.

The first phase of the 20-point peace plan includes an immediate ceasefire and the release of all Israeli hostages, both alive and deceased. Israel believes 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.

Hamas said it would only begin gathering Israeli hostages once Israel's military offensive in Gaza ends, arguing that the ongoing conflict prevents its operatives from safely collecting hostages from tunnels and other locations across the Strip.

In a separate demand, the group insisted on the release of high-profile Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti as part of the prisoner exchange package.

On the future of Gaza governance, Hamas rejected the deployment of any foreign forces in the Strip but signaled it would welcome Arab forces operating in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

The group also explicitly opposed assigning former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to lead post-war governance in Gaza.

Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Turkish National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin are set to join the talks on Wednesday, trying to secure a ceasefire deal.

Israeli strikes go on

In Gaza, the Israeli army launched air and artillery strikes across various areas of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others.

Local eyewitnesses said that Israeli warplanes and drones targeted homes and apartments in various areas of the Gaza Strip, particularly the Sabra and Tal al-Hawa neighborhoods south of Gaza City, the Shati refugee camp west of the city, and the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Israeli artillery also shelled an apartment building in the al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City and areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zeitoun, al-Sabra, Tal al-Hawa, Shuja'iyya and al-Tuffah.

Tuesday marked the second anniversary of the Gaza conflict, which began on October 7, 2023. The conflict has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

Data released on Tuesday by Gaza's health authorities shows that Israeli military operations over the past two years have killed 67,173 Palestinians, including 20,179 children, 10,427 women and 4,813 elderly people. Before the conflict, Gaza's population was estimated at 2.3 million. This means roughly one in every 33 residents – about three percent of the pre-war population – has been killed.

A UN report released in August estimated that over 500,000 people in Gaza were facing famine, particularly in Gaza City and surrounding areas in northern Gaza, with conditions spreading to central and southern Gaza.

Gaza's health authorities said that over the past two years, 460 people have died from hunger or malnutrition, including 154 children. More than 51,000 children under five are currently suffering from acute malnutrition.

(With input from Xinhua)