This week, Hamas declared its refusal to participate in the upcoming ceasefire discussions.
The scheduled talks on Thursday aimed to deliberate on a potential ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In Lebanon, a representative of Hamas informed Sky News that the militant group would not be attending the talks as initially planned.
Ahmad Abdul Hadi stated that while Hamas is not fundamentally against engaging in ceasefire negotiations, they will abstain this week due to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, displaying disinterest in reaching a comprehensive resolution to the hostilities.
Hadi further explained, “Instead of earnestly seeking peace, Netanyahu is deceitful and evasive, aiming to prolong and possibly escalate the conflict regionally. Negotiations, in his case, serve as a facade to perpetuate aggression against our people and perpetrate further atrocities.”
The group emphasized that they would be open to a return to negotiations if the Israeli government demonstrated a firm commitment to endorsing the ceasefire proposal presented by Hamas in July.
Hamas also accused Israel of imposing new conditions and expressed outrage over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with the recent deadly attack on a school compound in Gaza City.
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These nations have been engaged for months attempting to broker a three-phase plan wherein Hamas would release the remaining hostage from its October 7th raid in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Gaza.
However, the recent announcement from Hamas coincides with reports suggesting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed his Middle East trip.
Blinken was initially set to leave on Tuesday, but Axios reported that uncertainties regarding the situation prompted a delay in his travel plans.
Earlier in the day, Hamas launched two rockets towards Tel Aviv, marking the first such incident in months.
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US officials had initially confirmed that the scheduled Thursday discussions were anticipated to proceed as planned.
A spokesperson from the US State Department mentioned that Qatar would endeavor to persuade Hamas to take part in the peace negotiations.
“Our partners in Qatar have committed to facilitating Hamas’s representation,” stated US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday.
With the Palestinian death toll in Gaza nearing 40,000 after over ten months of conflict, Mr Netanyahu has reiterated Israel’s objectives in Gaza as the eradication of Hamas’s administrative and military capabilities and the safe return of their hostages.
