Hamas Faces Criticism for Rejecting Israel’s Unilateral Ceasefire

Hamas Reluctant to Back Any Deal That Doesn't End Blockade

Israel extended its particular ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, continuing their ground invasion of the tiny Palestinian enclave but somewhat limiting the number of air and artillery strikes against civilian areas for an additional 24 hours.

Hamas has rejected the unilateral extension, however, saying they did not agree to any such extensions of the pause, and saying that no ceasefire would be valid without a withdrawal of invasion forces and allowing civilians to return to their homes.

What, if anything, the rejection means remains unclear, but it will likely not be welcomed in Gaza, as even though the partial pause isn’t stopping the attacks on civilians, it is giving them a brief opportunity to look for food and water.

Ultimately, Hamas says they don’t want these brief pauses, but a settlement of the war that ends years of Israeli blockade. That is certainly an ideal goal, but in the interim it is primarily Gaza civilians, not Hamas, which are taking the brunt of the fighting.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.