Hamas says not informed yet about resumption of Gaza cease-fire talks

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Sunday it has not yet been informed by mediators about the resumption of indirect negotiations with Israel to reach a cease-fire and hostage swap deal in the Gaza Strip.

“We have not received anything from mediators,” senior Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq said in a statement.

Israel said on Saturday that indirect talks with Hamas for a Gaza cease-fire deal will be resumed next week.

“Our demand is a complete halt of the (Israeli) aggression in the Gaza Strip, not only in Rafah,” al-Rishq said.

The Hamas leader accused Netanyahu of being evasive “to buy more time to prolong the aggression.”

“The undeniable reality is that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for the deaths of hostages and shows no regard for their well-being or the welfare of their families,” he added.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the head of Israel’s Mossad spy service David Barnea returned on Saturday from Paris, where he met with CIA Director William Burns and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman to discuss the resumption of the Gaza cease-fire talks.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Around 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 80,600 others injured since October following an attack by Hamas.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi