Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, said on Sunday evening that there is no point in continuing negotiations while the siege and starvation continue to claim lives in the Strip. He stressed that allowing immediate entry of aid would be a serious sign of commitment to the talks.
His comments came as Hamas had already expressed its “astonishment” late Thursday–Friday at statements made by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff about the Gaza ceasefire talks. The movement reaffirmed its commitment to the negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement.
Al-Hayya stated: “We made progress in the recent round of talks and broadly agreed on what was proposed regarding withdrawal, prisoners, and aid.”
He added, “The mediators passed on positive responses from the occupation, but we were surprised when it withdrew from the talks with the US envoy.”
He explained that “the withdrawal by the occupation and Witkoff aims to waste time and allow for further genocide in Gaza.”
Al-Hayya also noted that “the occupation insists on taking a large area of Rafah to establish a buffer zone for the displaced, in preparation for forced displacement through Egypt or the sea.”
He added that “the occupation and Witkoff raised objections regarding the management of aid and insisted on keeping the current distribution mechanism.”
