Al Jazeera has been speaking to an official at the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), an armed group that fights alongside Hamas in Gaza, about the ongoing ceasefire talks in Qatar.
Muhammad al-Hindi, the group’s deputy secretary-general, said the current talks are aimed at reaching a framework agreement that addresses three main issues: the end of Israel’s war, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and mechanisms for the safe distribution of aid.
He said Israel wants to move on to discussing the details of the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners before reaching an agreement on the main issues.
“What we are currently discussing is a framework agreement,” al-Hindi said.
“The framework agreement revolves around three basic points. The first issue is the cessation of aggression. This requires guarantees. We do not trust any guarantees because of past experience. The United States provided guarantees, but after Israel took its prisoners, it did not comply,” he said.
The official added that the Palestinian resistance will not sign any agreement that leads to surrender and the annexation of large areas of the Gaza Strip.
