STICKING POINTS
Qassem indicated the corridor had become one of the sticking points at the Doha talks.
“Reports indicate new proposals are being presented aimed at circumventing the Gaza agreement,” he told AFP.
“Meetings are continuing with mediators in Doha. We adhere to what was agreed upon and to entering into the second phase.”
But he insisted Israel must also fulfil its obligations “withdrawing from the entire Gaza Strip” and “begin the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor” for any second phase deal to end the war that started with the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel.
“Israel has not implemented the humanitarian protocol of the Gaza agreement,” Qassem said.
“We do not want to return to war again, and if the occupation resumes its aggression, we have no choice but to defend our people,” the spokesman said.
Israeli media said on Thursday that Israel had called for several living and dead hostages – from the 58 still in Gaza – to be handed over in exchange for a 50-day extension to the ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the reports “fake news”.
Hamas’ Oct 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza killed more than 48,500, according to data from both sides.
