Israel-Gaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says Hamas

US President Joe Biden had said a ceasefire was "closer than we have ever been" following talks in Qatar.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersGaza ceasefire progress is an illusion, says HamasGetty ImagesHamas has described suggestions of progress on an Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal as an illusion, after US President Joe Biden said he was feeling "optimistic".

Following two days of US-backed talks in Qatar, President Biden said on Friday "we are closer than we have ever been".

And on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israeli negotiators had expressed "cautious optimism" about moving towards agreement on a deal.

However, a senior Hamas official told the BBC earlier there had been no progress and mediators were "selling illusions".

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdewq4v8wo

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