Hamas again accuses Netanyahu of ‘obstructing’ truce deal

An Israeli helicopter flies past an Israeli Navy ship off the port city of Haifa on August 18, 2024, amid regional tensions during the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. Agence France-Presse

DOHA — Hamas on Sunday again accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “obstructing an agreement” for a truce and hostage exchange in Gaza.

The Palestinian militant group said in a statement following the latest round of talks in Qatar that Netanyahu was “fully responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators, obstructing an agreement, and (bears) full responsibility for the lives” of hostages in Gaza.

Following two days of talks in Doha between US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators, the United States on Friday submitted a new compromise proposal.

READ: Blinken in Israel as Netanyahu, Hamas trade blame over Gaza talks

According to Hamas, the proposal “responds to Netanyahu’s conditions, especially his rejection of a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim junction, the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi corridor”.

The latter two places are seen by Israel as important for preventing the flow of any weapons into the Gaza Strip, while the Netzarim junction sits at a strategic point between northern and southern Gaza.

Netanyahu “also set new conditions in the prisoner exchange file and retreated from other items, which prevents the completion of the exchange deal”, Hamas said.

READ: Hamas rejects ‘new’ Gaza truce conditions

The Israeli premier had earlier denounced the militant group for being “obstinate” and not sending a delegation to the talks, saying Hamas not Israel should be under pressure.

He was speaking ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is pushing for a deal.

In its statement, Hamas reiterated its support for a proposal set out by US President Joe Biden in May, which he said was an Israeli plan.

That proposal involved a three-phase deal, starting with a six-week truce alongside the release of hostages taken on October 7 and an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated parts of Gaza.

Hamas officials have on several occasions accused Netanyahu of obstructing an agreement.

Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that started the war resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also took 251 hostages, with 111 still held in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 40,099 people, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant casualties.