Hamas raises stakes in Gaza truce talks
CAIRO/DUBAI/JERUSALEM - Hamas called on Wednesday for Palestinians to march to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque at the start of Ramadan, raising the stakes in ongoing negotiations for a truce in Gaza, which US President Joe Biden hopes will be in place by then.
The call by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh followed comments by Mr Biden that an agreement could be reached between Israel and Hamas as soon as next week for a ceasefire during the Muslim fasting month expected to start this year on March 10.
Israel and Hamas, which both have delegations in Qatar this week hammering out details of a potential 40-day truce, have said there is still a big gulf between them, and the Qatari mediators say there is no breakthrough yet.
Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem’s old city, one of the world’s holiest sites for Muslims and the most sacred for Jews, has long been a flashpoint for potential violence, particularly during religious holidays.
With war raging in Gaza, Israel has said it may set limits to worship at AlAqsa during Ramadan, according to its security needs. Many Palestinians reject any such restrictions on their access to the site.
“This is a call on our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to AlAqsa since the first day of Ramadan,” said Mr Haniyeh.
Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heirich described Mr Haniyeh’s remarks as “very unfortunate” and accused him of “trying to drag us to wars on other fronts”.
“We certainly don’t want that. We certainly will do whatever it takes to keep the calm,” she said.