After Israeli airstrikes killed several people in Rafah, mostly women and children, mediators between Israel and Hamas have been informed by the terrorist organisation that it will not participate in any negotiation for a ceasefire in the Gaza strip or a prisoner exchange deal, Xinhua news agency reported citing a Hamas source.
The report said that Hamas has taken this decision in response to Israel’s attack on tents housing where displaced people lived and injuring and killing dozens of people.
A source on Monday also reported that the Hamas leadership had not received any official notification from mediators in Egypt or Qatar about the resumption of negotiations.
Israel’s attack on Rafah
An Israeli airstrike on Rafah led to a fire which ended up killing 45 people in a tent camp. Israel has since faced backlash from all across the globe.
Israel’s military, which aims to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, stated it was investigating reports that a strike it conducted against commanders of the Islamist militant group in Rafah had caused the fire.
Survivors reported that families were preparing to sleep when the strike hit the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood, where thousands were sheltering after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in eastern Rafah over two weeks ago.