Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said that Israel’s attempt to assassinate the Palestinian resistance group's peace negotiators in Qatar was a "direct shot" at US President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
"The assassination attempt on the delegation is a direct shot at President Trump's proposal. If the Israelis accept it, they should listen to Hamas' response, not bomb Doha and the meeting site," Hamdan said in a televised statement.
He added that Israel's refusal to respond to mediators' August 18 proposal "was a clear coup against the negotiation track and the possibility of reaching a settlement to halt the aggression on Gaza and secure the release of prisoners."
Hamdan said Hamas is awaiting "the outcome of efforts and contacts by Qatar and Egypt to see if there is genuine American intent to pressure Israel toward a final ceasefire."
He stressed that mediation led by Egypt and Qatar had been close to progress several times, "but the occupation regime thwarted them with either assassinations or fresh aggression in Gaza, the latest being the attack on Doha."
"Nevertheless, Qatar and Egypt have demonstrated a high ability to absorb the occupation's shocks and move forward, because what is required is to stop the aggression and put an end to the rogue entity (Israel) that destabilises the region's security," he said.
Israel bombed a residential compound in Doha on Tuesday, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.
Qatar condemned the Israeli attack as "state terrorism," affirming its right to respond.
The attack came despite Qatar's mediation role, alongside Egypt and the US, in indirect talks aimed at a ceasefire and prisoner-captive exchange deal.
Genocide in Gaza
Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza since October 2023. Palestinians have recorded killings of more than 64,756 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Some 11,000 Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes, according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Israel says 48 of its nationals remain in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive.
More than 11,000 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, where rights groups cite torture, starvation, medical neglect and multiple deaths in custody.
Hamas has said it is ready to release all Israeli captives "in one batch" if Israel ends the genocide, withdraws its forces from Gaza and frees all Palestinian abductees.
Israeli hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court, has continued to insist on maintaining the occupation of Gaza.
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Source: TRT