Ismail Haniyeh blames Netanyahu for sabotaging Gaza ceasefire talks

The political bureau chief of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has expressed the group’s “seriousness” in the ongoing truce talks to end Israel’s brutal war against the Gaza Strip.

Ismail Haniyeh blamed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the continuation of the aggression against the besieged territory. 

He made the remarks in a statement on Sunday, as ceasefire talks to halt almost seven months of the regime’s genocidal war against Gaza continue for the second day in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Haniyeh went on to say that the movement “is still keen to reach a comprehensive, interconnected agreement that ends the aggression, guarantees the regime’s complete military withdrawal from Gaza, and achieves a serious prisoner exchange deal.”

He also held Netanyahu responsible for “inventing permanent justifications for the continuation of the aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made by mediators and various parties.”

Netanyahu stonewalling truce deal: Top Hamas official

Top Hamas official says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is stonewalling a truce deal between the movement and the Tel Aviv regime.

The Hamas chief further noted the resistance group has contacted mediators and resistance factions before sending its delegation to Cairo, adding that it has conveyed its “positive and flexible” position regarding the ceasefire proposal.
He also stressed that stopping the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians should be the delegation’s priority in the talks, emphasizing that it is “a fundamental and logical position that lays the foundation for a more stable future” and that there will be no agreement without it.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has rejected Hamas’ demands for an end to the Gaza war, saying that would keep the Palestinian resistance group in power and “pose a threat to Israel”.

“Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power. Israel cannot accept that, ” Netanyahu said.

On Saturday, a Hamas delegation arrived in  Cairo to resume ceasefire talks in the latest effort to halt the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.

Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah ‘with or without ceasefire deal’

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Israel to advance truce talks.

While Hamas has demanded a lasting ceasefire, Netanyahu has vowed to launch an offensive in the southern city of Rafah, which is home to around 1.5 million Palestinians who have been displaced due to Israel’s ongoing genocidal campaign in the besieged territory.

Netanyahu has insisted he will send ground troops into Rafah, despite strong concerns voiced by UN agencies and ally Washington for the safety of the civilians inside the city.

Israel waged its brutal war on besieged Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Tel Aviv, however, has failed to achieve its objectives in Gaza despite killing at least 34,622 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

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