In an interview with Al-Jazeera, a senior Hamas official accused Egypt of not keeping its promises to Hamas. He said that during the Egyptian mediation efforts, Hamas had been promised that the siege of Gaza would be eased and that reconstruction processes in the Gaza Strip would begin, but this did not happen.
A senior Hamas official said in an interview that “we express our great dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Egyptian mediators and their withdrawal from their promises to us.”
A senior Hamas official also blamed Egyptian policy, which he said made it difficult for those leaving the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, and stated that “we are examining the possibilities for escalation with Israel.”
As will be recalled, during Operation Wall Guard, on May 18, Egypt offered Israel a ceasefire agreement through mediation, but Israel preferred to continue attacking other targets in Gaza. Following American and European pressure, Israel announced the acceptance of the ceasefire, which took effect on May 21, when the acceptance of the agreement drew criticism from right-wing circles for stopping the operation before the Hamas decision. Now, a senior Hamas official is again threatening to escalate with Israel.