Hamas has announced that it will not attend the upcoming cease-fire negotiations with Israel scheduled for Thursday, citing a lack of necessary guarantees from Israel.
According to Ahmad Abdul Hadi, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, “We are not opposed to the idea of negotiations and showed flexibility in previous rounds.”
However, he added that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government rejected the July 2 proposal, introduced new conditions, and assassinated Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
As a result, Abdul Hadi stated, “we won’t participate” in the talks on August 15, adding that Hamas would return to “square one.”
Abdul Hadi emphasized, “We are committed to reaching an agreement because it is our responsibility to halt the massacres and the famine war the occupation is waging against our people.”
Hamas expressed willingness to engage with mediators after Thursday’s talks in Qatar, provided Israel offers a “serious response.”
Iran’s President Mahmoud Pezeshkian asserted that retribution is “a right” to prevent further Israeli aggression.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that if Iran and Hezbollah were to launch attacks, Israel would likely respond with counterattacks, potentially escalating the situation into a broader conflict.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters on Monday that the Biden administration is preparing for a possible attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies in the coming days.
