A top Hamas official says the group is losing faith in the US as a mediator in Gaza cease-fire talks
Associated PressDOHA, Qatar — A top Hamas official said the Palestinian militant group is losing faith in the United States’ ability to mediate a cease-fire in Gaza ahead of a new round of talks scheduled for this week amid mounting pressure to bring an end to the 10-month-old war with Israel. “We have informed the mediators that … any meeting should be based on talking about implementation mechanisms and setting deadlines rather than negotiating something new,” said Hamdan, who is a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, which includes the group’s top political leaders and sets its policies. Hamdan claimed Israel has “either sent a non-voting delegation or changed delegations from one round to another, so we would start again, or it has imposed new conditions.” Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the claim, but Israel has denied sabotaging talks and accuses Hamas of doing so. In a statement Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said some changes it has asked for were merely “clarifications” adding details, such as to clauses dealing with how Palestinians will return to northern Gaza, how many hostages will be released during specific phases and whether Israel can veto which Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for Israeli hostages.