GAZA STRIP (AFP) – Hamas on Sunday urged Gaza mediators to implement a truce plan presented by United States (US) President Joe Biden instead of holding more talks, as Palestinians fled a new Israeli military operation.
The statement from the Palestinian group came a day after one of the deadliest reported Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip in more than 10 months of war.
International mediators had invited Israel and Hamas to resume talks towards a long-sought truce after the fighting in Gaza and the killings of militant leaders sparked fears of a wider conflict.
Israel, whose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of prolonging the war for political gain, has accepted the invitation from the US, Qatar and Egypt for a round of talks planned for Thursday.
Hamas said on Sunday it wanted the implementation of a truce plan laid out by Biden on May 31 and later endorsed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, “rather than going through more negotiation rounds or new proposals”.
Hamas “demands that the mediators present a plan to implement what they proposed to the movement… based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and compel the (Israeli) occupation to comply”, it said.
In Khan Yunis, southern Gaza’s main city already ravaged by months of bombardment and battles, AFP journalists said hundreds of Palestinians had fled northern neighbourhoods after Israel issued fresh evacuation orders.
The military dropped leaflets and sent mobile phone messages warning of “dangerous combat” in Al-Jalaa district and telling Palestinian residents to leave the area, which until Sunday had been designated a humanitarian safe zone.
