Israel's Netanyahu 'working to evade' Gaza ceasefire agreement, says senior Hamas official

A leading member of Hamas has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately sabotaging the implementation of the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire, during an interview with The New Arab's Arabic language sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Sunday.

"Netanyahu is working to evade this agreement by resuming his aggression against the Gaza Strip, preventing the entry of aid, and closing all crossings," Hussam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau and head of the group's National Relations Department, said.

Badran also said that "Hamas has affirmed its commitment to the agreement and implemented all requirements as stipulated in the agreement", urging all "all parties seeking stability in the region" to  "pressure the occupation to complete the implementation of the phases of the ceasefire agreement". 

Despite news circulating of a new offer on the table, Badran dismissed these as rumours or Israeli misinformation, saying that the last peace offer, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, had been accepted by Hamas but rejected by Netanyahu. 

"There are no new offers yet. The last offer presented to us through Egyptian and Qatari mediators was accepted by Hamas as is, while Netanyahu clearly rejected it," he said.

"This offer was based on a proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff. To clarify further, I say that the failure to reach an agreement thus far has nothing to do with the exchange or the number of detainees, but rather with Netanyahu's rejection of any proposal due to his political and partisan calculations," he added.

The senior Hamas member also said that the positive direct talks held with the US over the release of American hostages held in Gaza were due to Israel not being involved in such negotiations. 

Last month, the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Adam Boehler, held what he described as "very helpful" talks with Hamas, something which enraged Israel, leading to rare criticism of the Trump administration by Netanyahu. 

Boehler initially defended the talks from the criticism, insisting that Washington was acting independently and is "not an agent of Israel", but then the Trump administration began to reverse his position, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying they were a "one-off" that "hasn't borne fruit".

"Boehler’s statements, which came after his meeting with the movement’s leaders, were a natural expression of having heard—for the first time—the movement’s position directly, without the influence of Israel, its lies, or its monopolization of the narrative presented to the Americans," Badran said. 

"As for the subsequent shift in some of the statements, it is clear that it was the result of campaigns and pressure exerted by the Zionist lobby in the U.S., as they seek to maintain control over how the conflict is portrayed, ensuring that Americans are not exposed to the other point of view," he added.