US efforts for cease-fire may be sincere, but Israel imposes new conditions: Hamas

ISTANBUL

A Hamas official involved in the cease-fire negotiations with Israel informed Turkish Foreign Ministry officials that the US might be genuinely trying to broker a cease-fire due to regional security concerns and upcoming presidential elections.

"Due to security concerns in the region and the upcoming presidential elections, the US may genuinely be trying to secure a cease-fire agreement," said the official, diplomatic sources reported on Tuesday.

However, the official stressed that the US is not putting pressure on Israel and that the American media is not reflecting the "real situation," and instead offering overly "optimistic" reports.

The official revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is continuously "introducing new conditions," particularly regarding the "Philadelphi Corridor" and "the Rafah border crossing," which has led to repeated setbacks.

"Every time we go back to square one, and a new process starts," the official said, adding that Israel is not negotiating but imposing.

"With this approach, we are losing hope for a cease-fire," the official added, noting that negotiations are currently focused on three key issues: the Philadelphi Corridor, the Rafah border crossing, and a prisoner exchange.

The US has warned that it will continue negotiations for two more weeks but will withdraw "if no agreement is reached," a move the Hamas official described as "extremely dangerous" as it risks returning to the starting point.

"We said we would negotiate within the framework of July 2. However, Israel is retreating from the May 24-25 document and Biden's plan approved by the UN Security Council. We cannot accept this," the official said.

The official also highlighted the dire situation in Gaza, where people "cannot find food and medicine," with "only flour and dry goods" available.