Israel rejects Hamas truce offer as aid ship reaches Gaza coast

The first ship carrying food aid reached the coast of the Gaza Strip on Friday, where hopes for a ceasefire to rescue the population from starvation suffered a new blow after Israel rejected the latest truce counter-proposal from Hamas.

The Open Arms vessel, carrying 200 tons of food, could be seen in the distance off the beach of the coastal strip, where it had been towed from Cyprus.

Hamas presented mediators with its latest counter-offer for a weeks-long ceasefire, but this was rejected by Israel, which said it was based on "unrealistic demands."

Like earlier offers from both sides over the past two months of talks, the Hamas proposal, reviewed by Reuters, envisions the release of dozens of Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

But it also calls for talks during a second phase that would eventually lead to the end of the war. Israel has persistently said it will discuss only temporary pauses in the fighting and will not discuss ending the war until Hamas is eradicated.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters Israel's rejection showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "determined to pursue the aggression against our people and undermine all efforts exerted to reach a ceasefire agreement."

It was up to Washington to push its ally Israel to accept a ceasefire, he said.



Reuters