Last week, Egypt, Qatar and the United States called on Israel and Hamas to resume talks on the terms of a ceasefire on August 14-15. The three countries' leaders said they were ready to present a final proposal to reach a deal. Hamas representative in Lebanon Ahmed Abdel Hadi told Sputnik on Tuesday that the Palestinian movement would not participate in the negotiations.
"The [Hamas] movement does not reject the principle of negotiations as such, contrary to the statements made by Zionist [Israeli] propaganda, and demands an operational plan that will ensure the success of these efforts and lead to an effective cessation of aggression," Badran said.
Any negotiations must be based on a clear plan on how to implement the agreed actions, the Hamas official said. He also expressed his concern that Israel would impede the talks to be able to continue military actions in the enclave.
"The movement believes that the real hurdle for a ceasefire is Israel's continued avoidance and the unconditional support that the US administration has for it, as it is indelibly linked with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's position," Badran said.
Hamas has repeatedly responded to international ceasefire initiatives, including US President Joe Biden's proposal and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the official added.
"However, the occupation force [Israel] continues refusing to make a concrete agreement and insists on continuing its crimes in the Gaza Strip, ignoring all calls to stop the war ... Any agreement must include a complete ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of troops from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons and reconstruction, as well as prisoner exchange," Badran said.
On October 7, 2023, Israel was attacked by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. In retaliation, the Jewish state launched military operations in the Palestinian enclave and announced a complete blockade of the enclave. The enclave's health ministry said that the death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has exceeded 39,900.