DaysofPal – A senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, Ezzat al-Risheq, has dismissed reports that the Palestinian movement declared the Gaza ceasefire “over,” calling the claims unfounded and part of an Israeli attempt to evade its commitments.
Al-Risheq said on Saturday that there was “no truth” to media reports circulated by Israeli sources alleging Hamas informed American businessman Steve Witkoff that the truce had collapsed.
“We have called on the mediators and the US administration to intervene and compel Israel to implement the agreement,” he stated, emphasizing that Hamas had not withdrawn from the deal.
His remarks came after Saudi state-run Al Arabiya, citing unnamed sources, claimed Hamas had declared “the agreement is over” and warned that “Gaza will not become another Lebanon.”
Al-Risheq accused Israel of manufacturing excuses to return to what he described as a “war of annihilation,” arguing that Israel continues to violate the truce “daily and systematically.”
According to the Palestinian health ministry, 318 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect last month.
The Gaza Strip remains devastated following the Israeli war that began on October 7, 2013, which killed and wounded more than 238,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. More than 11,000 people are still missing. The conflict also triggered widespread famine, the collapse of essential services, and massive destruction across nearly every area of the enclave.
All this has unfolded despite orders from the International Court of Justice directing Israel to halt its military operations, orders widely ignored on the international stage.
On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced an interim agreement between Israel and Hamas after indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh involving Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United States.
As part of the first phase, Hamas released 20 living Israeli prisoners on October 13. Israeli officials estimate that the remains of 28 additional captives are still in Gaza; four sets of remains have been recovered to date.
The second phase, awaiting an Israeli response, proposes the formation of a “community support committee” tasked with managing civil affairs in Gaza and overseeing aid and reconstruction efforts.
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