Hamas says next Gaza ceasefire phase impossible without more pressure on Israel

A Hamas leader has threatened to not move forward into the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement until more pressure is placed on Israel to open up a key border crossing, cease deadly strikes and allow more aid into the Palestinian territory.

The accusation came as Israel’s government said it was ready to move into the next, more complicated phase of the ceasefire deal – even as it had called on the militant group to return the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza.

Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political wing, called for the “full implementation of all the terms of the first phase” before moving forward, including an end to what he called the continuing demolition of Palestinian homes in the part of the territory still controlled by Israel.

Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of at least 376 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold on October 10, according to Palestinian health officials.

Hamas has very little leverage in negotiations and could come under heavy pressure from other regional leaders such as Qatar and Turkey to not pump the brakes on the fragile truce.

Israel has also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire. It has defended its strikes as a response to attacks against its soldiers or people getting too close to a line established in the ceasefire, although a number of the people killed have been women and children and some strikes have occurred in the “safe zone”, according to Palestinian health officials.

As a humanitarian crisis continues in Gaza, the United Nations and other aid organisations said that not nearly enough aid was entering the territory.

Israel has said it would begin to allow aid into Gaza through a crossing on the Jordan-Israel border.

Hamas’s comments came as the US-led plan outlining the future for the devastated territory had gained momentum in recent weeks.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel and Hamas were “very shortly expected to move into the second phase of the ceasefire”, after Hamas returned the remains of the last hostage held in Gaza. Although it appears that militants have struggled to find the remains, and Hamas has said the destruction by Israeli strikes in Gaza have been an obstacle in their search.

Meanwhile, officials have said that an international body tasked with governing the Gaza Strip in the next phase of the ceasefire is expected to be announced by the end of the year.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said on Saturday that the Gaza ceasefire had reached a “critical moment”.

The initial 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people while 251 were taken hostage. Almost all of the hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.

Gaza’s health ministry says the Palestinian death toll has topped 70,365. Its count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says roughly half of those killed have been women and children.

The ministry operates under the Hamas-run government. It is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.