Hamas official says Blinken ceasefire comments are attempt to pressure the group

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Wednesday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is blaming the delay of a Gaza ceasefire agreement on the Palestinian group unfairly.

Blinken, meeting Israeli leaders to discuss how to get more aid into Gaza, has repeatedly urged Hamas to accept an offer from Israel that will release hostages and achieve a ceasefire, describing it as “extraordinarily generous.”

“Blinken’s comments contradict reality. It is not strange for Blinken, who is known as the foreign minister of Israel, not America, to make such a statement,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

“Even the Israeli negotiating team admitted Netanyahu was the one who was hindering reaching an agreement,” he added.

Abu Zuhri said that the group was still studying the recent ceasefire offer. Hamas is seeking a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Netanyahu says Israel needs to destroy the remaining Hamas formations in Rafah in southern Gaza for its own security, with or without a deal with Hamas.