Hamas says working to ‘surmount all obstacles’ in Gaza truce talks

Israel shells Gaza on October 7 anniversary

GAZA: Israeli forces pounded parts of Gaza on Tuesday, giving the Palestinian enclave no respite as talks with Hamas on a US-backed peace plan entered a second day.

The UN’s chief earlier demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza as Israel marked two years since the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, Hamas said Tuesday it was working to overcome “all obstacles” as Palestinian militant leaders held indirect talks with Israel aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war.

“The delegation of the movement participating in the current negotiations in Egypt seeks to surmount all obstacles to achieving an agreement that fulfils the aspirations of our people in Gaza,” senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said in a televised speech.

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Barhoum said that the October 7 attack on Israel, which according to Israeli officials resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, was a “historic response” to Israel’s actions.

“We reaffirm that the Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7 was a historic response to attempts to eradicate the Palestinian cause,” Barhoum said.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the territory’s health ministry, figures the UN considers reliable. Monitoring Desk