The stalemate in Gaza remains, apparently. Hamas Will Make ‘No Compromise’ to its demands for a definitive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for any agreement on the release of the hostages, the representative of the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement said on Friday.

“Our first priority before any prisoner exchange agreement is to full guarantee of the cessation of the attack and the withdrawal of the enemy” from the Gaza Strip, “and there will be no compromise on that,” he stressed.

Hamas is also demanding the return of hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the war to their homes and the start of reconstruction on that territory.

Israel is demanding that Hamas provide an accurate list of hostages still alive in Gaza, but the Islamist movement says it does not know who is “dead or alive” among them.

Abu Obeidah also called on Palestinians to “mobilize” and “flock” during Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims, to Jerusalem’s Al-‘Aqsa mosque, where there are fears of tensions during this period, after from five months of war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt are trying to reach an agreement on a cessation of hostilities before Ramadan, which begins early next week, but negotiations held this week in Cairo have failed to bear fruit.

US President Joe Biden warned this week of a “very dangerous” situation in Israel and particularly Jerusalem if hostilities continue during Ramadan.

The war in Gaza broke out on October 7 following an unprecedented attack by Hamas commandos, who infiltrated from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel with resulting in the death of at least 1,160 peoplemost civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

In retaliation, Israel launched a military operation that counts so far 30,800 dead in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Health Ministry.

Nearly 250 people were abducted and taken to Gaza on October 7. According to Israeli authorities, 130 are still being held, 31 of whom are believed to be dead, after more than 100 hostages were released in exchange for Israel’s release of 240 Palestinians during a ceasefire in November.