Hamas senior official says group wants real hostages/prisoners deal, but Netanyahu wants war to continue

Aftermath of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah

FILE PHOTO: A Palestinian woman walks down the stairs of a house hit in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 9, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

Hamas wants calmness and a real hostages-for-prisoners swap deal, but Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the war to continue, Hamas senior official Khalil Al-Hayya said on Friday.

"Hamas did not suspend nor withdraw from the (ceasefire)negotiations; the occupation turned against the mediators’ proposal," Al-Hayya added in comments to Al Araby TV published by Hamas.

The Palestinian militant group said on Friday efforts to agree to a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip were back at square one after Israel effectively rejected a proposal by international mediators.

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By Reuters