World

Hamas says it will not join ceasefire talks this week

Hamas has said it will not join ceasefire talks this week.

Talks are due to take place on Thursday to discuss a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

However, a Hamas representative in Lebanon told Sky News that delegates from the militant group would no longer be taking part.

In a statement, Ahmad Abdul Hadi said Hamas was not against ceasefire talks “in principle”.

However, he said it would not participate this week because Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is not interested in reaching an agreement that ends the aggression completely”.

“Rather he is deceiving and evading and wants to prolong the war, and even expand it at the regional level, and thus he uses negotiations as a cover to continue his aggression against our people and commit more massacres against them.”

The group said it would return to negotiations if there was a “clear commitment” from the Israeli government to approve a ceasefire proposal put forward by Hamas in July.

It accused Israel of setting new conditions and also said it was angered by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, as well as the recent deadly attack on a school compound in Gaza City.

The statement comes as reports have emerged that US secretary of state Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to the Middle East.

Mr Blinken was due to depart on Tuesday but Axios reported the top diplomat’s travel was delayed over “uncertainty
about the situation”.

Earlier in the day, Hamas fired two rockets aimed at Tel Aviv for the first time in months.

On Monday, US officials had said they expected Thursday’s talks to continue as planned.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Articles You May Like

£1bn funding boost for councils to tackle homelessness
Radio DJ rescued from River Thames after saving dog
Study Explores Sun’s Magnetic Field Changes and Solar Wind Acceleration
Ancient Human Remains Reveal Brutal 4,000-Year-Old Massacre in Somerset
Six trades that NHL teams should make after roster freeze, including Provorov, Gourde, Boeser