Israeli attacks do not help Gaza talks, Netanyahu creates obstacles: Hamas | News on the Israel-Palestine conflict

While mediators are again pushing for an agreement, Hamas accuses the Israeli president of obstructing negotiations on a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

Hamas believes that escalating Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip are not conducive to negotiations to end the war. It accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of putting obstacles in the way of the talks.

In a statement on Monday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh warned that the “catastrophic consequences of the events in the Gaza Strip” could lead to “the negotiation process starting all over again.”

Netanyahu and his army would bear “full responsibility for the collapse of this path,” Hamas quoted Haniyeh as saying.

The statement said Haniyeh had made “urgent contact” with mediators Qatar and Egypt to counter the increasing actions of the Israeli military, which has issued further evacuation orders for areas in Gaza City neighborhoods, displacing thousands of Palestinians, many of whom have been forced to relocate multiple times.

On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered an “immediate” evacuation of the Tuffah, Daraj and Old Gaza neighborhoods in the north.

In a separate statement, Hamas accused Netanyahu of escalating “his aggression and crimes against our people,” calling them “attempts to expel them by force in order to thwart all efforts to reach an agreement.”

Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said Palestinians had been ordered to evacuate to central Gaza, even though the area was already “overwhelmed” by large numbers of displaced Palestinians from across the enclave.

Most of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been displaced, and hundreds of thousands are crowded into scorching hot tent camps.

Khoudary said she had spoken to Palestinians who had chosen not to evacuate because “there was no safe place to go.” She said they did not want to “lose their dignity by being put in makeshift camps and not having access to food (and) water.”

Israeli forces have also attacked tent camps housing displaced Palestinians. On June 8, Israeli forces raided the Nuseirat refugee camp and killed at least 274 Palestinians in an attempt to free four Israeli prisoners held there.

Israel has killed at least 38,193 Palestinians and injured 87,903 others since October 7, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday. A total of 40 Palestinians were killed in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.

Israel expands military operations

Israeli tanks have advanced into central Gaza after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave the city following a night of massive bombardment in areas it said had largely been evacuated months ago.

Residents said the air strikes and artillery fire were among the heaviest in nine months of what human rights experts and governments have called genocide.

The Israeli military said it had intelligence suggesting that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters were in the Gaza City area and urged residents to head south toward the town of Deir el-Balah.

In Shujayea, a district of Gaza City where fighting has been going on for weeks, the Israeli military said troops had raided and destroyed schools and a clinic.

Khoudary said the Israeli military had expanded its ground operations around Shujayea.

“Some people tried to evacuate. Some fled under massive artillery fire and air strikes; others were trapped and unable to escape,” she said.

On Monday, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reported that further evacuation orders had been issued for the Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City.

The new Israeli offensive comes at a time when Egypt, Qatar and the United States are stepping up their mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas has dropped its demand that Israel first commit to a permanent ceasefire before the Palestinian movement can sign an agreement.

But Netanyahu’s office reiterated in a statement on Sunday that “any agreement will allow Israel to return (to Gaza) and fight until all war goals are achieved.”

As the talks repeatedly stall due to disagreements between the parties, mediators Egypt and Qatar were supposed to hold new meetings this week, according to officials.