Negotiations on a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have stalled, according to the Arab Affairs editor at army radio, despite US President Joe Biden claiming that Hamas and Israel had agreed on a basic framework for the agreement.
A Hamas source told Reuters, "The attack on Khan Yunis shows that Israel is not interested in reaching a ceasefire agreement."
However, despite Hamas laying the blame for another failed deal on the strike, "A foreign source familiar with the talks confirms to @GLZRadio in response to Hamas's claim: there are no real negotiations - the contacts stalled even before the assassination attempt" the reporter posted on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after Israel announced it conducted a major strike on Hamas leader Mohammed Deif.
Deif was one of the masterminds of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. He has survived seven Israeli assassination attempts, the most recent in 2021, and has topped Israel's most-wanted list for decades.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was holding special consultations, his office said, in light of "developments in Gaza." It was unclear how the strike would affect ceasefire talks in Doha and Cairo.