Tentative Talks

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Hamas officials released a series of conflicting statements Sunday about withdrawing from ceasefire talks with Israel, a day after Israeli strikes hit a camp in the Gaza Strip targeting high-ranking Hamas commanders and the alleged masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, the Times of Israel reported.

Early on Sunday, an unnamed senior Hamas official told Agence France-Presse that it would be pulling out of the negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, and that were supported by the United States. The official cited Israeli “massacres” in the Palestinian enclave and Israeli “inflexibility” in negotiations.

But later, Izzat El-Reshiq, a member of Hamas’s political office, said the group has not exited the ceasefire discussions, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging the process.

The conflicting statements came after Israel launched airstrikes on a camp for displaced people in southern Gaza Saturday, targeting senior Hamas commander Mohammed Deif. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported that the strike resulted in 92 deaths and more than 300 injured.

Israeli army officials maintained that the attack focused on a Hamas compound rather than a civilian area, aiming to eliminate Deif and his deputy, Rafa’a Salameh.

Netanyahu has not confirmed Deif’s death, while Hamas officials insisted that the commander survived and continues to lead military operations.

Deif, at the top of Israel’s most wanted list, is responsible for orchestrating numerous attacks against civilians and soldiers. Israel has accused him of being one of the architects behind the Oct. 7 assault on Israel that triggered the conflict.

That attack on Israel killed at least 1,200 people and saw more than 240 others taken hostage by Hamas and its allies. Israel’s subsequent military response has killed more than 38,000 people and devastated the Palestinian enclave, causing a humanitarian crisis and prompting international condemnation.

Meanwhile, negotiations for a truce in Gaza have been tumultuous: These talks are centered on a framework proposed by US President Joe Biden, which includes a six-week ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

While progress has been hindered by recent Israeli strikes and internal disagreements, diplomats said further negotiations are planned in Doha, Qatar, involving high-level participants such as Israeli Mossad chief David Barnea.