Asharq Al-Awsat has obtained a document recently sent by Hamas to mediators regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, where escalating Israeli violations have killed more than 930 Palestinians since the deal took effect on October 10. Israel’s Channel 13 reported on Thursday evening, citing a regional diplomat who recently met Hamas leaders, that the Palestinian group would not accept disarmament and believed the United States would prevent Israel from carrying out any major military action in Gaza. The report said Hamas had grown stronger, gained confidence, and was tightening its control over the enclave, especially after the withdrawal of Israeli forces. A senior Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the reports were completely baseless. The source said the movement had recently sent mediators a document on Israeli violations and its position on the political deadlock, in light of the negative stance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government toward recent proposals by the mediators, as well as the roadmap put forward by the Board of Peace through its High Representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov. They also said Hamas had not recently held meetings with diplomatic officials in the region, apart from meetings held as part of negotiation rounds, with the participation of Mladenov and figures representing the US administration and the Board of Peace. The source said the negotiation round, expected to take place before Eid al-Adha, had been postponed until after the holiday that started on Wednesday. They said no specific date had been set for the round, but a delegation from the movement’s leadership was preparing to visit Cairo at Egypt’s invitation in the coming days, once the necessary arrangements were completed. The source said messages of protest had been sent in the past period over Israel's continued escalation in killings and the targeting of people, adding that there had been no new positions. Hamas sent the document to mediators in Egypt and sent copies to Qatar and Türkiye. Through those countries, it was relayed to other parties, including the Board of Peace and the US administration. The Hamas document obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat. The message At the beginning of the document, dated May 20, Hamas referred to efforts made by mediators to bridge differences during the latest negotiation rounds in Cairo and Istanbul, which it said had succeeded in narrowing gaps. The document said Israel’s measures, the expansion of its aggression, assassinations, and the targeting of Palestinians, the negotiating delegation, their families, and those connected to the negotiations had created a negative environment and strongly affected the course of talks, undermining mediators’ efforts to keep negotiations on their normal track. The document criticized Mladenov’s recent briefing to the UN Security Council, saying it contained inaccurate points and held Hamas responsible for obstructing the negotiation process. It said everyone knew the movement was fully committed to all provisions of the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement and that Israel was the party obstructing the deal and deliberately sabotaging mediators’ efforts. The document affirmed Hamas and the Palestinian factions' commitment to the negotiation track and its importance. It said they were working seriously to develop ideas to help overcome the deadlock and saw the need to intensify cooperation with mediators to reach reasonable approaches. Hamas urged mediators to pressure Israel to stop its daily violations of the agreement, which were obstructing the completion of the required tasks. The document said that while consultations were underway to reach a suitable formula to present to mediators, Israel assassinated Ezzedine al-Haddad, the commander of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing. It said the killing disrupted communication and consultation. Hamas hoped that once consultations were completed, it would communicate with mediators in the coming days to find a suitable formula to resume the negotiation process. More than a month ago, Asharq Al-Awsat revealed the full details of the proposal, which was classified as a roadmap and aimed to complete what remained of the first phase while negotiating the provisions of the second phase. Conditions set by Hamas and Israel obstructed the implementation of the roadmap. The two sides exchanged responses through mediators amid attempts to bridge their differences, and progress was later made. But Netanyahu’s government’s demand to obtain a signed document on disarming Gaza before moving ahead with any steps stalled progress on the agreement again, especially as Israel also refrained from allowing the Gaza administration committee to enter the enclave and assume its duties.
