Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, accused Israel of attempting to "sabotage the negotiations" underway in Doha aimed at reaching a ceasefire, by launching an operation early Monday that involved surrounding and storming the al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza City. In a statement reported by "France Presse," Haniyeh said that "what the Zionist occupation forces are doing at the al-Shifa medical complex... reflects the efforts of the occupation leaders to undermine the negotiations taking place in Doha" through Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
Haniyeh asserted that the attack on the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip "confirms that this enemy is fighting the return of life to the Gaza Strip and seeks to destroy all the components of human life. Furthermore, its targeting of police officers and administrative governmental personnel in the sector illustrates its attempt to spread chaos and sustain the bloodshed of our people in resilient Gaza."
He added, "We affirm that all of this will not succeed in achieving this criminal scheme, and the movement will remain committed to the rights of our people and their clear demands for the cessation of aggression, withdrawal, and the return of the displaced."
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari stated on Tuesday that the head of the Israeli Mossad, David Barnea, "has left Doha," but "the technical teams are meeting as we speak" to discuss potential agreement details after the main negotiators discussed "the key issues." He added, "I don’t think we have reached a moment where we can say we are close to reaching an agreement. We are cautiously optimistic that the talks have resumed, but it is too early to announce any successes."
