Hamas tells mediators Israeli airstrikes derailing Gaza plan

A Hamas official tells Al Jazeera that a US-backed plan for the group to disarm and Israel’s military to pull out of Gaza will be hampered unless Israel halts what appears to be a stepped-up campaign of airstrikes in the Strip.

The official says the group has contacted mediators and urged them to intervene directly to compel Israel to completely cease its military operations in Gaza.

“We made it clear to the mediators that the continued attacks will disrupt the implementation of the agreement and the negotiations over its timeline,” the Hamas source says.

The demand comes after Hamas agreed late last week to a Board of Peace roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Despite Hamas’s acceptance of the roadmap, Israel has pushed back, saying it won’t work so long as Hamas has arms, while carrying out nightly waves of airstrikes.

According to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza, 18 people were killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours, one of the highest daily death tolls reported in recent months.