Israeli fire kills two Palestinians in Gaza amid impasse over ceasefire
CAIRO –
Israeli fire killed at least two people in Rafah and wounded three others in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, raising fears among Palestinians that the ceasefire could collapse altogether after Israel imposed a total blockade on the shattered enclave. A first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that began in January ended over the weekend with no agreement on what will happen next.
Hamas says an agreed second phase must now begin, leading to a permanent Israeli withdrawal and an end to the war. Israel has, instead, offered a temporary extension into April, with Hamas to release more hostages in return for Palestinian detainees, without immediate talks on Gaza's future. Later on Monday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan said Israel's demand to extend the first phase of the ceasefire was pushing progress back to zero.
"The mediators and guarantors bear full responsibility for preventing (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu from sabotaging all efforts made to reach the agreement and for protecting the agreement from collapsing," Hamdan told a news conference.
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