Senior Hamas official accuses US envoy Witkoff of spoiling Gaza ceasefire efforts

A senior Hamas official has accused US envoy Steve Witkoff of repeatedly undermining efforts to reach a ceasefire between the Palestinian group and Israel in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

In an exclusive interview, Basem Naim claimed that Witkoff “undermined a serious chance to reach a ceasefire agreement” on multiple occasions.

Naim said Hamas had initially hoped that US President Donald Trump’s stated desire to end wars globally would translate into concrete action in Gaza, but that such hope had been disappointed.

“Unfortunately, in our case, we have seen repeatedly that [the US is] backing the position of this fascist Israeli government – in all forms,” Naim said. “Even, sometimes, if the cost or the price is to undermine a serious chance to reach a ceasefire.”

He claimed there had been multiple moments when a truce was within reach but was derailed “by one of those two parties – either the Israelis or the Americans.”

Naim insisted that Hamas remains committed to negotiating a ceasefire – even a temporary one – as a step toward “a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.”