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4 hours ago
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DPA
Tue, March 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM UTC
1 min read
Palestinian children watch as Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, begin the ceremony during which they are handing over two Israeli hostages Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of the ceasefire deal. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
The Palestinian extremist group Hamas has rejected Israel's demand for a demilitarization of the Gaza Strip as a prerequisite for the second phase of the ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
Disarming Hamas was a "red line" for the group in the negotiations on the continuation of the ceasefire, a Hamas spokesman told dpa.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said earlier on Tuesday that Israel was ready to enter the second stage of the agreement if Hamas released all remaining hostages from Gaza and agreed to a complete demilitarization of the coastal area, which is also home to other armed groups besides Hamas.
The second phase of the ceasefire deal which took effect on January 19 originally foresaw the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to the war.
The initial six-week stage expired last weekend, but details of the second phase are yet to be negotiated by both sides.
Hamas' latest statements suggest that it will be increasingly difficult to come to an agreement and it remains unclear whether the ceasefire will continue to hold.
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