Hamas official denies report of ceasefire talks with Israel

Hamas official Izzat a-Rishq on Sunday denied a report that the terrorist organization was stopping negotiations with Israel over a ceasefire.

The France-based AFP quoted a senior official as saying that negotiations with Israel on a ceasefire and the release of hostages were suspended after a heavy Israeli attack killed a brigade commander in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis on Saturday.

The target of the attack was high-ranking leader Mohammed Deif, who is viewed by the Israeli Defense Ministry as the mastermind of terrorism.

“The statements published by the French news agency and circulated by some media outlets about the Hamas movement’s decision to break off negotiations in response to the massacre of rebels west of Khan Yunis have no basis in truth,” a-Rishq said.

He called the attack a “Nazi escalation against our people” and said one of Israel’s goals was to “block the path to an agreement to end the aggression against our people, which has become clear to everyone.”

The earlier report said the terrorist organization “made the decision to break off negotiations due to the lack of seriousness of the occupying power (Israel), its continued policy of delay and obstruction, and the ongoing massacres of unarmed civilians.”

In addition, the news agency quoted an official as saying that Mohammed Deif, the target of an attack in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, “monitors the military operations well and directly.”