Truce talk prospects dim after Israeli airstrikes kill civilians

Gaza: After Israel launched a series of airstrikes that targeted and killed displaced civilians in tents northwest of Rafah, Hamas has reportedly pulled back from truce talks. Hamas informed mediators that it will abstain from participating in any negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or a hostage relief deal after Israel's attack on the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah on Sunday night.

The decision was made in response to the Israeli army's "targeting of tents housing displaced civilians in the northwest of Rafah, killing and wounding dozens of them", Xinhua news agency reported, citing a Hamas source. The source on Monday also said that the Hamas leadership had not received any official notification from mediators in Egypt or Qatar regarding the resumption of negotiations.

At least 45 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on tents for displaced people near Rafah city, Gaza's health authorities said in a press statement on Monday. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a press conference in Beirut on Monday that Israel would not receive the hostages "except according to our conditions presented to the mediators."

Hamdan added that Hamas's conditions for reaching a deal, including a permanent ceasefire, remained unchanged.

Source: IANS