Hamas will not join Gaza ceasefire talks, senior official says

BBC:

A senior Hamas official told the BBC that it will not participate in the indirect talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal due to resume in Doha on Thursday.

The Palestinian armed group wanted a roadmap for implementing the agreement and would “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”, the official said.

He reiterated that the roadmap should be based on the proposed deal outlined by US President Joe Biden at the end of May and accused Israel of adding “new conditions”.

Israel’s prime minister has denied doing so and said Hamas has been the one demanding changes.

The talks are still expected to take place even without Hamas, as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators say they could use them to put together a plan that resolves the remaining issues.

They suffered several setbacks last month and have been suspended since Hamas’s political leader and chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran.

The US hopes that finalising a deal could deter Iran from retaliating for the assassination against Israel – which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement – and avert a regional conflict.

The US has ramped up its diplomatic efforts ahead of the talks.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said in a phone call that “no party in the region should take actions that would undermine efforts to reach a deal,” a state department statement said. Mr Blinken also spoke separately to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, the state department said.

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris were also briefed by their national security team on the latest developments in the Middle East, the White House said.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 39,960 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.