Netanyahu disrupts cease-fire talks by placing new conditions every time: Hamas leader

DOHA, Qatar

A senior Hamas leader said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new conditions, which did not exist previously, demonstrated that he has no desire to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza that allows for a hostage-prisoner swap.

"What became clear to all parties following the negotiations is that the occupation (Israeli government) led by Netanyahu doesn't want to reach a deal," Hussam Badran, responsible for the group's national relations file, told Anadolu.

He added that "whenever there is a kind of proposal or consensus between us and the mediators, we find that Netanyahu is putting new conditions that didn't exist in the past."

Earlier on Monday, US President Joe Biden said he does not believe Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a hostage swap deal with Hamas.

Badran noted that Israel's recent decision not to withdraw from the Gaza-Egypt border area, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, "totally contradicts with all of the proposals and papers that was previously negotiated."

For months, the US, Qatar, and Egypt have been trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure a hostage-prisoner exchange and a cease-fire and allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. But mediation efforts have been stalled due to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet Hamas’ demands to stop the war.

Badran stressed that his movement's goal is to stop the killing and destruction committed in Gaza by the Israeli army and that all of the movement's stances regarding the negotiations are "Palestinian stances; we consult with the Palestinian groups, especially resistance groups."

Commenting on the Turkish stance on the developing situation in Palestine, the Hamas leader said it is "valued."

He added that Hamas welcomes any effort put forward by Türkiye or any Arab or Islamic country to support Gaza, whether on a political, relief, or popular level.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 40,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 94,100 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar