Hamas Representative in Lebanon: We Will Not Participate in Thursday's Talks

Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdul Hadi, stated that the movement will not participate in the talks scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday. Abdul Hadi told CBS News that the movement has not received guarantees that Israel will commit to negotiations based on a previous proposal aligned with U.S. President Joe Biden's vision and a United Nations Security Council resolution. He added, "We are not against the concept of negotiations. We have been flexible in previous rounds," but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government rejected the proposal, imposed new conditions, and assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at the end of last month. Abdul Hadi said, "Therefore, we will not participate" in the talks on August 15, "and we will return to square one." He noted that Hamas is ready to meet with mediators after Thursday's talks in Qatar if Israel provides what it termed a "serious response," according to a diplomat familiar with the discussions. Abdul Hadi emphasized "We are serious about reaching an agreement because our responsibility towards our people is to stop the massacres and the famine war being perpetrated by the occupation against our people." Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli broadcasting authority reported that mediators conveyed a message to Israel indicating that Hamas is expected to participate in tomorrow's talks. The authority added that Iran is considering sending its own delegation to monitor the Gaza discussions, pointing out that if Tehran proceeds with that and the mediators accept it, Israel will not participate.