A senior official of Hamas has accused Israel of allowing the Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations to stall, saying only Israel’s views were considered in the talks in Egypt.
Ahmad Abdelhadi, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, spoke in a telephone interview with NHK on Wednesday.
Israel and Hamas are still wide apart in the negotiations. Israel says it will continue to station its troops in the Philadelphi Corridor — the border region with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip — and elsewhere after a ceasefire. Hamas opposes that.
Abdelhadi said only Israel’s opinions were reflected in the negotiations that were held in Egypt until early this week, and that they were futile.
He said Hamas will never accept Israel keeping troops in the Philadelphi Corridor and other areas. He said the group will join meaningful talks, but will keep fighting until they begin.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Wednesday that it struck armed fighters in the West Bank.
Palestinian media reported that the attack on Jenin, in the north of the region, and elsewhere killed at least 10 citizens and wounded dozens.