Hamas says no to new truce talks amid Israel's ‘hunger war’ on Gaza

A senior Hamas figure said on Tuesday the group won’t re-enter truce negotiations while Israel continues its deadly assault on Gaza.

“There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip,” Basem Naim told AFP.

He urged global powers to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the “crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings” in the enclave.

Naim’s comments came a day after Israel approved a military plan to expand operations, which includes the displacement of “most” Gaza residents. An Israeli official said it involves “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.

Since 2 March, Gaza has faced a total Israeli blockade, with food, water and medical supplies nearly gone. The Israeli military resumed its war on the besiged Strip on 18 March, ending a fragile two-month truce.