Hamas official claims targeted terrorist is fine, says it is withdrawing from ceasefire talks.
By World Israel News Staff
Hamas said it was pausing its participation in ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations following a critical strike by the Israeli air force on Saturday, which is believed to have killed one of the terror group’s most prominent leaders.
On Saturday, Israel jets bombed a compound in which Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas’ military operations in Gaza, and his sub-commander were reportedly hiding.
That evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel could not confirm that Deif had been slain in the airstrike, the terrorist was “most likely” killed.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the terror group had made the “decision to halt negotiations due to [Israel’s] lack of seriousness, continued policy of procrastination and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres against unarmed civilians.”
That official also claimed that Deif had survived the assassination, though he did not provide any evidence to support that claim.
“Commander Mohammed Deif is well and directly overseeing” Hamas’ military operations, the official asserted.
Hamas did not specific how long it was planning to stop negotiations, or if the pause in the discussions is intended to be permanent.
Hebrew-language Channel 12 News quoted a senior Hamas official, who said that the terror group had already withdrawn from discussions before the strikes on Saturday.
“The negotiations were stopped a few days ago as a result of the Israeli lack of compliance and the insistence on placing conditions outside of the offer that was agreed upon,” Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha reportedly said.
Kan News reported on Sunday that despite the bombastic public statements from Hamas, Israel is operating under the assumption that ceasefire negotiations will continue.
Mossad Director David Barnea is expected to fly to Qatar later this week to participate in the discussions aimed at bringing about a pause in the fighting and the release of Israeli captives held in the Strip for more than nine months.
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