GAZA CITY — April 18, 2025 — Hamas has formally rejected Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal, saying it will not accept a partial agreement that serves what it described as the political interests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Instead, the militant group has offered to immediately negotiate a comprehensive deal that would see all remaining hostages freed in exchange for an end to the war and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
In a video statement released on Thursday, Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said the group would not agree to limited deals that prolong the ongoing conflict.
“We will not accept partial deals that serve Netanyahu’s political agenda,” al-Hayya said, adding that Israel’s strategy aims to continue what he called a “war of extermination and starvation.”
The statement comes after Israel proposed a 45-day ceasefire in return for the release of 10 hostages. Of the 59 hostages believed to remain in Hamas captivity, only 24 are confirmed to be alive. The rest are either unaccounted for or presumed dead.
The conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a cross-border assault, killing approximately 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
Al-Hayya reaffirmed Hamas’ willingness to negotiate a complete hostage-prisoner exchange, emphasizing the need for a full ceasefire to end the suffering in Gaza.
“We are ready to immediately negotiate a deal to swap all hostages with an agreed number of Palestinians jailed by Israel and to end the war,” he said.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded angrily to Hamas’ rejection, saying it was time “to open the gates of hell” on the militant group.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Israeli airstrikes over the past two days have reportedly killed at least 37 people, most of them displaced civilians living in tents.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency, the dead included several children in the al-Mawasi area, which Israel had previously designated as a safe zone for evacuees.
Eyewitnesses described a “powerful” explosion that set multiple tents ablaze. “I rushed outside and saw the tent next to mine engulfed in flames,” one man told the BBC’s Gaza Lifeline programme.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the latest strike but said it was investigating.
In a separate statement, the Israel Defense Forces claimed to have hit over 100 targets in recent days, including what it called “terrorist cells, military structures, and infrastructure sites.”
While Israel insists there is no shortage of aid, maintaining a blockade imposed on March 1 to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages, humanitarian organizations say otherwise.
The heads of 12 major aid groups warned this week that the aid system in Gaza is “facing total collapse,” as basic supplies remain scarce and no new humanitarian convoys have entered the strip.
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 51,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign since the war began. As diplomatic efforts stall and the humanitarian crisis worsens, prospects for a negotiated resolution remain bleak.