A Hamas representative in Lebanon said that the group will not be attending the upcoming cease-fire negotiations with Israel scheduled for Thursday.
According to CBS News, the representative, Ahmad Abdul Hadi, Hamas has not received the necessary guarantees that Israel will engage in talks based on an earlier proposal from July 2.
“We are not opposed to the idea of negotiations and showed flexibility in previous rounds,” Abdul Hadi said on Tuesday.
However, he added that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government rejected the July 2 proposal, introduced new conditions, and assassinated Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Haniyeh had been leading the negotiations for Hamas.
As a result, Abdul Hadi stated, “we won’t participate” in the talks on August 15, adding that Hamas would return to “square one.”
Hamas expressed willingness to engage with mediators after Thursday’s talks in Qatar, provided Israel offers a “serious response,” as shared by a diplomat familiar with the discussions.
Abdul Hadi emphasized, “We are committed to reaching an agreement because it is our responsibility to halt the massacres and the famine war the occupation is waging against our people.”
While Israel indicated on Sunday that it would attend the negotiations, Hamas hinted on Monday that it would likely not participate, pointing to the July 2 proposal as the only acceptable basis for future discussions.
On Tuesday, Hamas confirmed its decision not to attend, accusing Netanyahu of acting in bad faith and seeking to extend the conflict in Gaza and possibly expand it across the Middle East.
Iran and its allies hold Israel responsible for the killing of Haniyeh, as well as for a recent airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s senior military commander, Fuad Shukr.
Israel has claimed responsibility for Shukr’s death but has not acknowledged involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination.
Top officials from Western nations, including the United States, Unitedd Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Vatican, have been urging Iran to refrain from retaliating against Israel.
However, Iran’s President Mahmoud Pezeshkian asserted that retribution is “a right” to prevent further Israeli aggression.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that if Iran and Hezbollah were to launch attacks, Israel would likely respond with counterattacks, potentially escalating the situation into a broader conflict involving both Middle Eastern and Western countries.
Meanwhile, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters on Monday that the Biden administration is preparing for a possible attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies in the coming days.
U.S. officials cautioned CBS News that such an attack could happen with little or no warning, involving both Hezbollah and Iran.
