A senior Hamas official, Basem Naim, declared on Tuesday that the group has abandoned truce talks with Israel, demanding global action to stop Israel’s “hunger war” in Gaza.
The statement follows Israel’s plan for an expanded offensive, raising alarms over a deepening humanitarian crisis.
Basem Naim, a Hamas political bureau member and former Gaza health minister, told AFP, “There’s no sense in ceasefire talks while the hunger war and extermination war persist in Gaza.” He urged the international community to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end what he called “crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings.” The comments come as Israel continues its total blockade of Gaza, which began on March 2, 2025. This has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, with warnings of impending famine from the UN.
Hamas says no point in further Gaza truce talks, accuses Israel of conducting a "hunger war".
Israel's security cabinet has approved the military's plan for expanded operations, which an Israeli official said would entail "the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the… pic.twitter.com/AlU7RtUPE9
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 6, 2025On Monday, Israel’s security cabinet approved expanded military operations, described by an official as “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and holding of territories,” per Reuters. The plan, involving large-scale population displacement, has drawn condemnation, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman, Farhan Haq, stating it “will lead to countless more civilian deaths.” Gaza’s civil defence agency reported three deaths, including a girl, in Tuesday’s dawn attacks.
Gaza’s Humanitarian Catastrophe
Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack sparked the war, nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, often repeatedly, with 52,567 killed, including 2,459 since Israel’s March 18 offensive resumed, per Gaza’s health ministry. The blockade has crippled aid, prompting French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to call Israel’s plan “unacceptable” and a violation of humanitarian law, as reported by France 24. The forced displacement evokes the 1948 Nakba, deepening Palestinian fears.
Read: Israel Calls Up Reservists for Gaza Offensive, Netanyahu Slams Qatar
Hamas’s rejection of truce talks, citing Israel’s “hunger war,” underscores Gaza’s dire humanitarian crisis as Israel plans an expanded offensive. With 52,567 deaths and famine looming, global calls for intervention intensify. The international community faces a pivotal moment to address Gaza’s plight and prevent further catastrophe.
