Citing statements by Defence Minister Israel Katz, he said current Israeli policy is worsening already dire living conditions in the strip to encourage people to leave, Haaretz reported.
Referring to international pressure on Netanyahu, Barghouti said mediators understand that, aside from US President Donald Trump, almost no actors can effectively pressure the Israeli prime minister.
“Weapons are not the first problem that must be solved, if the first stage of the understanding is implemented, it will be possible to move to the next stage and address the other issues as well,” Barghouti said.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza since October 2023 has killed nearly 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 173,000, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian figures.
While Hamas complied with the requirements of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Israel reneged on its commitments and continued violating the deal, while talks on moving to the second phase have remained stalled.
Israel has also prevented the entry into Gaza of the agreed quantities of food, medicine, medical supplies, shelter materials, and prefabricated homes, where around 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced people, are living in catastrophic conditions.
Despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 2025, the Israeli army has killed at least 978 Palestinians and injured 3,097 others in near-daily attacks, according to the Palestine’s Health Ministry in Gaza.
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