A Hamas official reportedly informed a Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson that the United States plans to continue the current negotiations for two more weeks before ending them if no compromise is reached.
The official described this potential move as extremely dangerous and a significant setback for ceasefire efforts.
“The US has communicated that they will extend the ongoing talks for two more weeks and will terminate them if no resolution is found,” announced the Turkish spokesperson.
“This decision is perilous because it means we could be back to square one,” he warned.
The Hamas official also stated, “We agreed to negotiate within the framework set on July 2, but Israel is backtracking from the May 24/25 document and President Biden’s plan, which the UN General Security Council approved. We cannot accept this.”
In June, the UN Security Council adopted US-backed Resolution 2735, which proposed a comprehensive three-phase ceasefire deal to end the conflict in Gaza. However, Israel was unwilling to implement the resolution, leading Prime Minister Netanyahu to cancel his visit to Washington after the US refrained from vetoing the resolution.
The Hamas official also criticized Washington for not applying sufficient pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire agreement.
“While the US may be sincere in its efforts to broker a ceasefire due to regional security concerns and the upcoming presidential elections, they are not putting any real pressure on Israel,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson added, citing the Hamas official.
“The US isn’t sharing the full picture with the media. They continue to offer optimistic messages, but the reality is far from positive.”
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has continued since October 7, 2023, with negotiations for a ceasefire ongoing but with little progress. Despite multiple sessions of talks involving Hamas, Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and the US, there has been no significant advancement toward halting Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 41,000 Palestinians.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
