As U.N. Warns of Famine in Gaza, Cease-Fire Remains Elusive

A top Hamas official on Wednesday appeared to raise the stakes for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, saying the militant group was ready to continue fighting and calling on Palestinians to defy Israeli restrictions and march to the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem to pray at the start of Ramadan.

In a televised speech, Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said the group was open to indirect negotiations with Israel, but that “any flexibility we show in the negotiation process is a commitment to protecting the blood of our people, matched by a readiness to defend them.” Read more

@nytimes