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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Hamas has informed mediators that it will not participate in any negotiation for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip or a prisoner exchange deal after Israel's attack on the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah on Sunday night, Xinhua reported on Monday citing a source in the movement.
The source said the decision was made in response to the Israeli army's targeting of tents housing displaced civilians in the northwest of Rafah, killing 45 people including women and children. Israel's military said Sunday evening's attack in the southern Rafah area had targeted and killed two senior Hamas operatives – but it also set a tent city for displaced Palestinians ablaze and caused civilian casualties.
The Hamas source said that the Hamas leadership had not received any official notification from mediators in Egypt or Qatar regarding the resumption of negotiations amid reports that hostage talks were set to resume this week.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a press conference in Beirut on Monday that Israel would not receive the hostages "except according to our conditions presented to the mediators." He said that Hamas' conditions for reaching a deal, including a permanent ceasefire, remained unchanged.
According to a report from the Times of Israel on late Monday, Israeli officials said Israel is waiting for more information from the mediators on what Hamas' latest positions are before it makes any decision on sending a team of negotiators to resume talks on a hostage deal.
(With input from agencies)