Hamas threatens withdrawal from Gaza understandings amid continued Israeli air strikes

Hamas has told mediators it is considering withdrawing from the understandings currently being discussed to reach an agreement on Gaza, in protest at continued Israeli air strikes across the territory, according to Israeli media reports.

Israel’s Channel 14 reported that the message sent to mediators could affect the course of the sensitive negotiations currently under way, as the parties work to draft an agreement setting out a framework for the next phase in Gaza.

Israeli sources said the government is assessing the implications of Hamas’s message and the options available over the coming hours. Discussions are continuing within Israel’s political and security leadership over how to respond to the latest developments.

According to the reports, the debate in Israel centres on two main options. The first is to maintain military pressure by continuing operations, air strikes and targeted killings, based on the assessment that sustained pressure could force Hamas to make concessions. The second is to suspend military operations temporarily to give negotiations a better chance of making progress and achieving a breakthrough.

The developments come as contacts between Israel and Hamas continue through regional and international mediators in an effort to reach new understandings on the situation in Gaza.

In a related development, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strook sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for an urgent meeting of the political-security cabinet to review what they described as the “roadmap” for Gaza declared by the Peace Council.