GAZA: The Israeli Prime Minister is responsible for stalling the current ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel, the News New York Times reported on Monday.
The US newspaper cited an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity and alleged the Israeli Prime Minister for the current stalemate in talks between the two sides. Similarly, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official also blamed the Israeli Prime Minister for the current deadlock in the truce talks between Hamas and Israel.
The Israeli source is told The New York Times that the two sides were close to a deal a couple of days ago, but Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks regarding a planned Rafah operation had forced Hamas to “harden” its demands.
Abu Marzouk also told the paper, “We were very close, but Netanyahu’s narrow-mindedness aborted the deal.”
Earlier, Arab media reported that the Israeli troops have started pounding Rafah, where over a million Palestinians are taking shelters, killing around 21 civilians. Emergency services said that seven people from one family and nine from another were martyred in the Israeli air strikes. Health source said that Israeli strikes took place at two different areas in the bordering city.
