A statement issued by Izzat El-Reshiq, member of Hamas’s political wing, said that contrary to previous reports, Hamas had not stepped away from hostage deal negotiations.
This is following an anonymous Hamas official announcing on Saturday that the terror group was walking away from negotiations after the IDF operation targeted Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif and his deputy.
Although the IDF confirmed that the deputy Rafa’a Salameh had been killed, Hamas insists that Deif is still alive and is “fine.”
Earlier remarks by Ismail Haniyeh indicated that Hamas was stepping away from negotiations because it didn’t feel Israel was “serious.”
According to Kan News, an Israeli delegation, including Mossad chief David Barnea, is still in Doha, Qatar, for further negotiations this week.
One diplomat said that strikes such as the one against Deif “tend to lead to interruptions and delays in conversations, or changes in demands.”
