Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Aug 10: Hamas has made a "major concession" by agreeing to full disarmament as part of a proposed 15-point plan for Gaza, but Israel's rejection of the proposal could lead to a dangerous stalemate, according to Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies.

Speaking to Al Jazeera about Israel's rejection of the Board of Peace's plan, Bennis said Hamas' agreement to disarm represented a significant concession, but was conditional on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

"Hamas made this major concession to agree to full disarmament but clearly only to be carried out in cooperation, in parallel, with an Israeli withdrawal. But the Israelis are not only refusing to withdraw. They are taking more land in Gaza and consolidating their control of land in Lebanon," she said.

Bennis also alleged that Israeli strikes had killed around 1,100 people in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement was reached in October last year.

"There have been 1,100 people killed in Gaza by Israeli strikes just since the ceasefire deal was passed in October of last year, so the notion that the genocide is over is simply not the case," she said.

She warned that a prolonged deadlock in negotiations could result in continued violence and further loss of life.

"And if there's just a stall — if it goes into stalemate — that means the genocide is continuing. This is what's so dramatically dangerous about this," Bennis said.

Her comments came amid continuing disagreements over the proposed arrangements for Gaza, including Hamas' disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.