Hamas says it will not attend new cease-fire talks with Israel

A Hamas representative in Lebanon confirmed to CBS News that a delegation from the militant group will not attend Thursday’s attempt to restart cease-fire negotiations with Israel, saying Hamas has not received assurances that Israel would commit to negotiate on the basis of an earlier proposal dated July 2. 

“We are not against the concept of negotiations and we were flexible in the previous rounds,” said Ahmad Abdul Hadi, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon, in a statement to CBS News Tuesday. “But Netanyahu and his government rejected (the July 2nd proposal), put new conditions, they assassinated the head of our movement,” referring to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political wing, in the Iranian capital of Tehran late last month. Haniyeh had been Hamas’ lead negotiator in the cease-fire talks.

“Therefore we won’t participate” in the Aug. 15 talks, Abdul Hadi added, “and we will go back to square one.”

Hamas said it is willing to meet with mediators after Thursday’s talks in Qatar, if Israel gives what they call a “serious response,” according to a diplomat briefed on the talks. 

“We are serious on reaching an agreement as it is our responsibility towards our people to stop the massacres and the famine war the occupation (sic) is committing against our people,” Abdul Hadi said.

On Sunday, Israel indicated it would attend upcoming negotiations, and on Monday, Hamas issued its first statement hinting it would not attend talks, citing many previous rounds of negotiations and pointing to the July 2 proposal as the basis for moving ahead. In Tuesday’s statement confirming it would not attend, Hamas also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of not acting in good faith, and of wanting to both prolong its war in Gaza and expand it into the Middle East. 

Iran and its proxies blame Israel for Haniyeh’s killing, as well as an airstrike last month on Beirut which killed Hezbollah senior military commander Fuad Shukr — a top leader of Hezbollah and advisor to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has taken credit for Shukr’s killing, but not that of Haniyeh.

Leaders and top officials of Western countries — including the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Vatican — have been trying to talk Iran down from retaliating against Israel.

Iran’s new President Mahmoud Pezeshkian replied that retribution is  “a right” to stop more Israeli aggression. 

If Iran and Hezbollah were to conduct attacks, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speculated to CBS News that the Israeli military would launch counterattacks which could then drag the whole region into an all-out war, and pull in Mideast and Western countries. 

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday that the Biden administration is preparing for a potential attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies as soon as this week, while U.S. officials told CBS News that a limited attack from both Hezbollah and Iran could come with little to no warning.