The Hamas terrorist organization announced on Sunday that its indirect ceasefire talks with Israel have halted, The Associated Press reported.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri blamed the impasse on the Palestinian Authority, which has voiced its strong opposition to the talks.
Abu Zuhri said that in response, Hamas would be escalating its protests in new locations along Gaza's borders with Israel.
Egypt had been brokering ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel in recent weeks, but the PA has repeatedly criticized those talks.
One report said that PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas had threatened to cut all contact with Israel, should the Jewish state reach a ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terrorist organization.
Abbas’ Fatah faction and Hamas have been at odds since 2007, when Hamas violently took control of Gaza from Fatah.
Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation deal last October, under which the PA was to have resumed full control of Gaza by December 1.
That deadline was initially put back by 10 days and had later reportedly hit “obstacles”. Attempts to get the sides back to the negotiating table have failed.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)