GAZA: A Hamas official on Friday strongly condemned refusal of Israel’s prime minister to agree to a final peace accord for Gaza, where the presence of Israeli troops on the Egyptian border remained a major sticking point.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Omer Dostri has told western media that an Israeli team was in Cairo negotiating to discuss a hostage release agreement.
But Hamas representatives were not taking part and an official Osama Badran, on Friday said that Netanyahu’s insistence that troops remain on the Philadelphi border strip shows his refusal to reach a final accord.
Egypt with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States for months have tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken this week visited the region to stress the urgency of an agreement.
Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its 322nd day, has killed at least 40,265 Palestinians mostly women and children and injured over 93,144 others.
US President Joe Biden has asked Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of captives, the White House said.
