A senior Hamas official informed AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group has pulled out of ceasefire talks regarding the Gaza conflict due to what they describe as Israeli “massacres” and Israel’s conduct during negotiations.
Another Hamas official confirmed that despite a significant Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas commander in southern Gaza, the group’s military leader Mohammed Deif remains active and unharmed.
The attack, according to Gaza’s health ministry, resulted in the deaths of 92 individuals. Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh reportedly informed international mediators Qatar and Egypt about the cessation of ceasefire negotiations, initially proposed by US President Joe Biden in May.
The proposed ceasefire plan’s first phase aimed to establish a six-week truce, involving the exchange of most hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Haniyeh cited Israel’s perceived lack of seriousness, ongoing delays, obstruction, and what Hamas views as continued massacres of unarmed civilians by the occupation as reasons for halting the talks.
“Hamas has shown great flexibility to reach an agreement and end the aggression and is ready to resume negotiations when the occupation government demonstrates seriousness in reaching a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal.
Haniyeh said in a statement late Saturday that he had called the mediators and other countries to urge them to put pressure on Israel to halt the attacks.
Israel said Deif, who it considers one of the “masterminds” of the October 7 attacks, was the target of the strikes on the Al-Mawasi camp in southern Gaza where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians from other districts have gathered.
But Hamas, without confirming that Deif was at the camp, said he was alive and working.
“Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades and resistance operations,” the official said, referring to Hamas’s armed wing.
My knowledge is current up until January 2022, and I do not have information on events or developments beyond that date. If you have any questions or need information within that timeframe, feel free to ask!
