Israeli official questions ‘bizarre’ Hamas rejection of changes to hostage deal draft that have yet to be submitted

After Palestinian and Egyptian sources claimed overnight that Hamas has rejected one of the new demands Israel has said it will add to the hostage release and ceasefire deal proposal, an Israeli official tells Reuters that the terror group has yet to even receive the amendment texts.

Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, a Western official charged that Israel had complicated efforts to reach a final deal, and specifically noted Israel’s insistence on amending the deal to include a stipulation for the implementation of a vetting mechanism to screen displaced Palestinians returning to the north of the Strip in the event of a truce.

The demand was reportedly rejected by Hamas, according to Egyptian and Palestinian sources.

However, speaking to Reuters, an Israeli official calls the messages from Hamas regarding the amended proposal “bizarre,” because Israel hasn’t “sent it yet, nobody has read it yet.”

“Even the negotiators haven’t got it yet. They will read it before transferring it to Hamas for their reaction,” says the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.