Haniyeh recalled that Hamas has agreed to the ceasefire proposal of Qatari and Egyptian mediators “made with knowledge of the US administration,”
"However, the occupants [Israel] responded to the aforementioned proposal by occupying the Rafah crossing. They [Israel] also made amendments to the proposal, which brought the negotiations to a deadlock,” Haniyeh said in his address.
The IDF announced on May 7 that "overnight, ground troops began a precise counterterrorism operation" aimed at "eliminating" Hamas "within specific areas of eastern Rafah."
Earlier, Axios reported that Tel Aviv was not satisfied with the hostage deal with Hamas and accused the US of not informing it about the latest Qatari and Egyptian proposals.
Over 35,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.