By Nour Abu Eisha
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Hamas has frozen discussions about a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip or a possible hostage deal with Israel, according to a Palestinian source on Tuesday.
“Hamas told mediators about its decision to freeze all discussions about a Gaza cease-fire or hostage swap with Israel,” the source told Anadolu.
The move came shortly after Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was assassinated in an Israeli drone attack on a Hamas office in the Lebanese capital Beirut, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency.
Hamas confirmed that Arouri and two commanders of its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, were killed in the attack, which left at least six people dead.
Arouri was the most senior Hamas leader to have been killed by Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 22,185 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,035 others injured, mostly children and women, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.