Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said on Tuesday that Israel is "trying to impose a surrender agreement on the Palestinian people," but it will not succeed, as the release of Israeli hostages will only be possible through negotiations.
He claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is not interested in a ceasefire agreement but is only seeking to continue the war."
Hamas, Abu Zuhri said, "is showing a positive attitude toward attempts to bridge the differences between the parties, and the door is still open."
"The hands of the American administration are stained with the blood of the children and women of Gaza," said Abu Zuhri, who noted that the US and Israel want to retrieve the hostages without committing to stopping "the aggression."
Abu Zuhri further stated that the Trump administration is adopting Netanyahu's position, which is attempting to sabotage the ceasefire, and that Netanyahu and Trump must understand that Hamas is not in a position of weakness and will not surrender.
Osama Hamdan, another senior Hamas official, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that "Israel is trying to evade the ceasefire agreement and reach a new agreement that Hamas has rejected."
Hamdan added that Hamas has taken a positive approach toward the Witkoff proposal, provided there is a bridge to the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Hamdan said Israel is deluded in thinking that escalating military pressure will be effective, adding that Hamas has not received a new Egyptian proposal to stop the war against Gaza, though contacts with Qatar and Egypt continue to halt Israel's "aggression."