Hamas says Gaza truce talks pointless as Israel wages 'hunger war'

Hamas connected Tuesday dismissed arsenic pointless ceasefire talks with Israel, accusing it of waging a "hunger war" connected Gaza arsenic famine looms and Israel prepares for a broader battle connected the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The comments from a elder Hamas authoritative followed Israel's support of a subject program involving the "conquest" of Gaza, wherever astir each 2.3 cardinal radical person been displaced and a two-month Israeli blockade has worsened the humanitarian crisis.

"There is nary consciousness successful engaging successful talks oregon considering caller ceasefire proposals arsenic agelong arsenic the hunger warfare and extermination warfare proceed successful the Gaza Strip," Basem Naim told AFP.

Naim, a Hamas governmental bureau subordinate and erstwhile Gaza wellness minister, said the satellite indispensable unit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's authorities to extremity the "crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings".

Qatar, a cardinal mediator successful the conflict, said "our efforts stay ongoing" for a Gaza ceasefire.

Israel's subject connected Monday said expanded operations successful Gaza would see displacing "most" of its population.

On Sunday, Israel's information furniture approved a subject program for expanded operations, which 1 authoritative said would entail "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories".

The timing of unit deployments allowed a "window of opportunity" for a imaginable hostage woody coinciding with US President Donald Trump's sojourn to the Middle East opening successful Saudi Arabia connected May 13, a elder Israeli information root said.

Nearly each of the territory's inhabitants person been displaced, often aggregate times, since the commencement of the warfare sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 onslaught connected Israel.

Israel's subject resumed its violative connected the Gaza Strip connected March 18, ending a two-month truce.

- 'Dust and destruction' -

Gaza's civilian defence said six Palestinians including a young miss were killed successful Israeli dawn attacks connected Gaza.

Moaz Hamdan, who mislaid household members successful a onslaught successful Nuseirat successful cardinal Gaza, said helium was awoken by "a precise ample explosion".

"We saw the full spot covered successful particulate and destruction, and determination was nary vision. We were incapable to rescue the wounded," helium said.

President Isaac Herzog said Israeli was astatine a delicate constituent with "tough dialogue" successful parallel with "more steps militarily successful bid to bring backmost our hostages".

"I genuinely judge that each participants indispensable spell the other mile, marque an other effort, instrumentality the other step, truthful that we tin spot our hostages location immediately," helium added.

Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated Monday extracurricular parliament successful Jerusalem to explicit their absorption to the authorities plan.

"Gaza is, and indispensable remain, an integral portion of a aboriginal Palestinian state," Farhan Haq said.

The UN and assistance organisations person repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe successful Gaza, with famine looming.

On Monday, a elder Israeli information authoritative said that "a cardinal constituent of the program is simply a large-scale evacuation of the full Gazan colonisation from the warring zones... to areas successful confederate Gaza".

- 'Violation' -

Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said the violative would see "moving astir of the colonisation of the Gaza Strip... to support them".

China said it opposed Israel's subject actions successful Gaza and was "highly concerned" by the situation, urging each parties to "effectively instrumentality the ceasefire agreement".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Paris "very strongly" condemns Israel's planned Gaza offensive, calling it "unacceptable", and adding its authorities was "in usurpation of humanitarian law".

For Palestinians, immoderate forced displacement evokes memories of the "Nakba", oregon catastrophe -- the wide displacement successful the warfare that led to Israel's instauration successful 1948.

On Monday, the wellness ministry successful Hamas-run Gaza said astatine slightest 2,459 radical had been killed since Israel resumed its run connected March 18, bringing the wide decease toll from the warfare to 52,567.

Hamas's October 7 onslaught connected Israel resulted successful the deaths of 1,218 radical connected the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based connected authoritative figures.

Out of the 251 radical abducted by militants that day, 58 are inactive held successful Gaza including 34 the Israeli subject says are dead.

Talks for a truce successful Gaza, mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt person stalled with Israel insisting connected a limited-duration ceasefire and Hamas's disarmament portion the Palestinian radical has said the negotiations should pb to a imperishable extremity to the war.

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