Hamas accuses US and Israel of 'lying' about Gaza ceasefire negotiations

Crucial talks were postponed due to the Israeli Prime Minister having meetings at the White House

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden met in the White House on Thursday. EPA

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Hamas has accused the US and Israel of “lying” about getting closer to reaching a ceasefire agreement, claiming that they are deliberately placing obstacles to prolong the war in Gaza – now in its 10th month.

“They are all lying and playing for time, pretending that we are close to an agreement to stop the war, but making sure that the war continues,” Hamas official Mahmoud Taha said on Friday.

“We no longer trust or believe American officials, especially the CIA director currently in the region,” the official in charge of media relations told The National.

His accusations came hours after US Vice President Kamala Harris told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that it was time he agreed to a ceasefire deal and provided relief to the Palestinian people.

Ms Harris said she expressed to Mr Netanyahu her “serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians”.

“I made clear my serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there,” she said in a televised address after she and President Joe Biden met the Israeli Prime Minister at the White House.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected Ms Harris's calls for a ceasefire.

“There will be no truce, Madam Candidate,” Ben-Gvir wrote on X.

Ms Harris is the presumed Democratic nominee to run against Republican candidate Donald Trump in the November presidential election after Mr Biden stepped aside last Sunday.

The meeting with Mr Netanyahu was held after crucial talks in Doha were postponed until next week. They were scheduled for Thursday in the Qatari capital between warring parties and officials from Egypt, Qatar, and the US.

Sources told The National that difficulties in “co-ordinating” with the Israeli Prime Minister have led to the postponement.

But Mr Taha accused the PM of postponing the talks.

“After the Israeli negotiating delegation was scheduled to arrive in Doha, Netanyahu changed his mind and postponed the round without consulting anyone,” he said.

“Netanyahu is still adopting the method of disrupting the negotiations, placing obstacles and leading them to a dead end. This is his policy. Although he made statements saying that the deal was close, all of that was a complete lie.”

Mr Netanyahu had been criticised by the families of hostages captured by Hamas-led militants on October 7 for initially delaying his delegation's departure to Doha from Wednesday until Thursday.

On Wednesday, Mr Netanyahu addressed a special joint session of Congress, as thousands of protesters gathered outside the Capitol to call for a ceasefire and the end of US aid to Israel.

More than 39,100 people have been killed in the besieged enclave in Israeli strikes and ground attacks since the war began, according to Gaza health authorities.

The war started on October 7 when about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, were killed and 240 abducted in attacks by Hamas and its allies in southern Israel.

About 130 hostages are still held in Gaza, although many of them are believed to have died. More than 100 have been released since October 7.