Palestinian factions warn that any Gaza truce without guarantees is a ‘political trap’

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces, a coalition of Palestinian factions, said Tuesday that any ceasefire in Gaza lacking solid guarantees for ending the war, a full Israeli withdrawal, the lifting of the blockade and rebuilding the Gaza Strip would be a “political trap” that entrenches Israel’s occupation rather than resisting it, according to a statement posted by Hamas.

The committee said it reviewed reports of a new ceasefire proposal that includes disarming the Palestinian resistance and handing over Israeli hostages without guarantees to halt Israel’s genocide or ensure a complete withdrawal from Gaza.

It condemned the focus on the resistance’s “rudimentary defensive weapons” while the US supplies Israel with “lethal weapons and heavy bombs dropped on our defenseless people,” the statement added.

The committee described Gaza as a security buffer for Egypt, with its residents acting as the “vanguard” of Egypt’s defense while Egypt serves as a strategic depth for Palestinians.

It warned that a truce without commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops, lift the siege and rebuild would perpetuate occupation, urging mediators and the international community to pressure Israel, which is known for “historically reneging on agreements.”

The committee accused Israel of orchestrating a “major deception” by emphasizing disarming the “victim” while evading a three-phase agreement previously accepted and adhered to by Palestinians.

On Monday, Egyptian media said that Cairo sent an Israeli proposal to the Palestinian group Hamas on securing a permanent truce. Hamas announced that it was reviewing the proposal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier announced that “intense negotiations” are underway to secure the release of the hostages held in Gaza as public pressure mounts following his decision to abandon a ceasefire agreement and resume the war in the enclave, according to a statement from his office reported by the Maariv newspaper.

Israel estimates that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, 24 of whom are alive, while more than 9,500 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons facing torture, starvation and medical neglect which has led to numerous deaths, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations and media reports.

Egypt, alongside Qatar and the US, brokered a phased ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January, which Israel later violated by unilaterally resuming the war on March 18.

Netanyahu abandoned the second phase of the deal under pressure from his government’s far-right faction, according to Israeli media reports.

At least 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.