Hamas official expresses opposition to latest hostage deal offer, but terror group says talks continue

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan speaks during a rally organized by Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in a southern suburb of Beirut, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan speaks during a rally organized by Lebanon's Hezbollah terror group to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in a southern suburb of Beirut, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official based in Lebanon, tells the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV, “Our position on the current negotiating paper is negative.”

Hamas’s press office subsequently clarifies, “The negative position does not mean negotiations have stopped. There is a back-and-forth issue.”

The terror group is reportedly slated to submit an amended response to the latest proposal in the coming hours.

Hamdan warns that Hamas will walk away from the negotiations if Israel launches its pledged invasion to dismantle the terror group’s remaining battalions in Rafah.

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