Hamas official warns of Netanyahu’s attempts to undermine Gaza ceasefire deal

A Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum warned Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to obstruct the latest round of ceasefire negotiations, just as he had “deliberately thwarted all previous rounds.”

Speaking at a press conference in Doha marking the second anniversary of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” cross- border attack, Barhoum said Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, backed by US support, had failed to produce a “false image of victory.”

He stressed that Hamas had engaged responsibly with ceasefire proposals over the past two years, including the most recent plan put forward by US President Donald Trump.

Barhoum outlined the movement’s priorities in the ongoing Cairo talks, including a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access, the return of displaced residents, and the start of a reconstruction process overseen by a Palestinian technocratic body. He also reiterated Hamas’s demand for a “fair prisoner exchange deal.”

“Our priority is the immediate cessation of aggression and the war of extermination against Gaza,” Barhoum said, vowing the movement would uphold Palestinians’ national rights and pursue “liberation, reform, and independence.”

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