DOHA: Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of intentionally stalling a Gaza ceasefire deal and hostage exchange by setting new conditions that mark a major ‘retreat’ from an earlier draft.
The statement from Hamas came after a meeting on Sunday in Rome, which included Egyptian, Qatari, and US mediators engaging with Israeli negotiators for a ceasefire deal. The mediators are part of a broader international effort to bring an end to the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza, which has been raging for over nine months.
According to Hamas, the new terms proposed by Netanyahu represent a “retreat” from the earlier draft of the ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group accused Netanyahu of employing a strategy of “procrastination, stalling, and evasion” to avoid finalizing the deal. This claim aligns with previous allegations by both sides, with Israeli critics also accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the conflict.
“We in the Hamas movement have listened to the mediators regarding what transpired recently in the Rome meeting,” the Palestinian group stated. “It is clear from what the mediators conveyed that Netanyahu has returned to his strategy of procrastination, stalling, and evading reaching an agreement by setting new conditions and demands.”
The proposed ceasefire deal, which has been the focus of intense international diplomacy, is designed to end the current hostilities between Israel and Hamas. It is linked to a complex exchange arrangement involving the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel.
Since October 7 last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 39,363 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the besieged territory’s health ministry.
