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withdrawn from talks for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.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Hamas official as saying that the terrorist group has withdrawn from talks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Hamas in Qatari capital Doha, has said that the group has not withdrawn from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that the group has withdrawn from talks.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.