Hamas denies withdrawal from Gaza ceasefire talks, accuses Netanyahu of derailing peace efforts

The terrorist group Hamas has said that it has not withdrawn from talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The clarification comes after a report quoted a Hamas official as saying that the terrorist group has withdrawn from talks after Israel targeted Mohammed Deif, the military chief of Hamas, in an airstrike in southern Gaza. Now, Izzat El-Reshiq, a member of the political office of Hamas in Qatari capital Doha, has said that the group has not withdrawn from talks, according to The Times of Israel. El-Reshiq further accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to derail efforts by Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt and the United States to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal, as per the newspaper.

Previously, the AFP news agency had quoted a Hamas official as saying that the group has withdrawn from talks. The official told the agency that Ismail Haniyeh, the overall head of Hamas, had told international mediators of the “decision to halt negotiations due to the occupation’s [Israel’s] lack of seriousness, continued policy of procrastination and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians  

Israel and Hamas are currently in dialogue mediated by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the United States regarding a ceasefire proposal first outlined by US President Joe Biden six weeks ago. The plan seeks to end the war in Gaza in three stages. In the first stage, a six-week ceasefire will be implemented in Gaza and some hostages will be released in lieu of the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Then, talks for the permanent end of war and the release of all hostages will start. In the third and final phase, the reconstruction of war-ravaged Gaza will start.