Hamas says to halt Gaza ceasefire negotiations if Israel attacks Rafah

GAZA -- The Palestinian Islamic Movement (Hamas) said on Wednesday that the ceasefire negotiations with Israel would be suspended if Israel attacks the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

Osama Hamdan, a senior official of Hamas, said in an interview with Lebanon-based al-Manar TV that Hamas would halt all indirect negotiations with Israel if it launches military operations against Rafah.

Accusing Israel of seeking "to blackmail all the parties by its threats of attacking Rafah," the Hamas official stressed that "the resistance is still having its power to defend our people."

Hamdan noted that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, maintained contact with the political faction of Hamas, and were informed about the ongoing situation on the ground.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there "with or without" a deal with Hamas.