Hamas chief accuses Netanyahu of hindering efforts to reach Gaza cease-fire

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining efforts to reach a cease-fire deal in the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas is still keen on reaching an agreement that ends the aggression, guarantees Israeli troop withdrawal, and achieves a serious prisoner exchange deal,” Haniyeh said in a statement.

“The world has become a hostage to an extremist government, which has a huge number of political problems and crimes committed in Gaza,” he added, in reference to Netanyahu’s government.

Haniyeh accused the Israeli premier of “inventing justifications” to continue the war on Gaza.

Early Sunday, Netanyahu rejected calls to end the Gaza offensive in return for a prisoner swap deal with Hamas, claiming that ending the war now would keep the Palestinian group in power.

Hamas, which is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages, held talks in Egypt on Sunday for a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap with Israel.

Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera News channel, citing a high-level Egyptian source, reported “positive progress” on Sunday in talks for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Hamas demands an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza in return for any deal with Tel Aviv.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for an attack led by Hamas, in which 1139 people died. It has killed nearly 34,700 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins and 85% of the enclave’s population is internally displaced amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.