Hamas denies freezing ceasefire negotiations following attack on Khan Younis

Gaza, July 14 – Hamas on Sunday denied freezing indirect ceasefire negotiations with Israel following a massive bloody attack on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said in a statement that “all reports over the movement’s decision to stop negotiations in response to the Al-Mawasi massacre is baseless.”

He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government are trying to obstruct reaching an agreement to stop the aggression on Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

Some reports said that Hamas asked mediators Egypt and Qatar to stop ceasefire negotiations and a swap deal after the Al-Mawasi incident.

On Saturday, 90 Palestinians were killed and 300 others wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit tents for displaced people in Khan Younis, the Gaza-based health authorities said.

Israel said that the target of the Israeli attack was Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, noting that the army was awaiting the results of the raid.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu said in a press conference on Saturday that the “war will end only after Israel achieves all its goals.”

In addition, the Hamas movement said in a press statement on Saturday that the head of the political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, held a series of contacts with mediators and some regional countries in light of the “massacre” committed by the Israeli army in the Mawasi area.

Haniyeh pointed out that while Hamas showed a positive and responsible response to the latest proposal with the aim of reaching an agreement to stop the aggression against our people, the Israeli position taken by Netanyahu was to place obstacles that prevent reaching an agreement, added the movement.