Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Thursday his was still seeking a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release after an Israeli strike killed three of his sons in an attack in Gaza.
Speaking in Qatar while receiving condolences, Haniyeh said “The interests of the Palestinian people are placed above everything” when asked if the strike would affect the talks on a truce and hostage release.
“We are seeking to reach a deal but the occupation is still procrastinating and evading a response to the demands,” he told Reuters.
The strike raised fears among families of hostages it would derail efforts to secure the release of the remaining 133 captives.
“I can only hope this won’t affect the negotiation. I hope it won’t make Hamas put harder conditions on the deal,” said Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother Yarden Bibas was taken captive with his wife and two small children during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7.
He spoke as skepticism is high that a deal could be reached for the hostages, the first phase of which, has been under negotiation for months. It would see the release of 40 of the hostages in exchange for a six-week pause to the war.
Group expected to include women, children, elderly and the informed
That group is expected to include women, children, the elderly, and the informed, but the Wall Street Journal and CNN have reported that there might not be enough live hostages that fit that category for Hamas to make that deal, which was mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt.
Hamas has also wanted to see a permanent ceasefire while Israel wants only a temporary one.
“The key to any agreement with the occupation starts with a permanent ceasefire and our top priority in the ongoing negotiation process is the unconditional return of the displaced and the complete withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip,” Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said in a statement.
“Without that, an agreement will not happen,” he added.
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