Arab source: Israeli officials leaking false claim Qatar sabotaging talks to deflect blame for impasse from PM

An Arab official denies Hebrew media reports claiming that Qatar urged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian ceasefire proposal.

The source — who is familiar with the negotiations and is not from Qatar — tells The Times of Israel that the reports are being “manufactured” by Israeli officials who are seeking to further harm the negotiations and deflect blame for the failure of the talks away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose demands have made an agreement all but impossible..

Over the weekend, several Hebrew media outlets published reports that either cited only Israeli officials or no sources at all, claiming that Qatar encouraged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian proposal for a hostage deal, arguing that Doha could secure a better agreement in the form of a long-term truce.