Hamas Rejects Egyptian Proposal to End War with Israel, Refuses Free Elections in Gaza

Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups operating in Gaza have rejected an Egyptian-led truce proposal with Israel that would see the militants relinquish power in return for an end to the war, sources say.

The terrorists, who conducted the October 7 massacre in Israel, have refused to take part in one of the biggest conditions laid out by negotiators in Cairo on Sunday, December 24: an end to Hamas’ reign in Gaza by forming a Palestinian parliament and holding free elections, according to two Egyptian security sources.

The terrorist organizations instead reiterated that the only thing they’re ready to discuss is a prisoner swap that would see more than 100 Israeli hostages released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

But a Hamas official who was in Cairo during the negotiations added that even a new prisoner swap would only take place once Israel has withdrawn from war-torn Gaza. Further, while previous peace talks have included exchanging one hostage for every three Palestinian women and minor prisoners, leaders of Islamic Jihad are now demanding a different approach even on that. The terror group has claimed that the only fair exchange would be all the hostages for all the prisoners, according to Egyptian sources.

There were about 5,250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails before the war, but that number has nearly doubled after thousands more were arrested in conflicts along Judea and Samaria since October 7, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.

In terms of who would govern the Palestinian region after the war, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said: “Who will lead the Palestinians is an internal Palestinian issue. The people must elect their own leadership. No one has a right to dictate, not the Americans, Israelis or anyone else.” (NYP / VFI News)

“God, we pray for the release of all Israeli and foreign hostages currently being held by Hamas. We pray that You assist our leaders and military personnel in prioritizing our hostages and that You would bring an end to this war.”

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