Hamas on Tuesday warned against Israeli military's expanded operations in Gaza, saying that the displacement of thousands of residents could have a "disastrous repercussions" for ceasefire talks and the release of Israeli hostages.
The Palestinian group also said that it had shown flexibility in indirect talks over a ceasefire and hostage release, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of setting "obstacles" including the latest escalation.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden who met with an Israeli-American, who was released by Hamas as part of the hostage agreement Washington helped broker in late November, and promised to free all the remaining hostages as well.
Latest On Israel's War On Gaza
Hamas' Warning To Israeli Raids In Gaza
Hamas warned Israel's military against expanding its operations in the Gaza City, saying that the displacement of thousands of residents could have "disastrous repercussions" for ceasefire talks and the release of Israeli hostages.
In a statement on Monday, the militant group said that its top political leader Ismail Haniyeh warned mediators of the "collapse" of the neighbours, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli army would bear "full responsibility".
The statement came days after the two sides had appeared to have narrowed the gaps in the long-running talks aimed at pausing the now nine-month-long war in Gaza.
Israel Pushes Deeper Into Gaza Amid Hamas' Accusation
Israeli forces continued to advance deeper into the Gaza Strip's largest city, sending thousands of Palestinians fleeing on Monday from an area damaged in the early weeks of the war.
Hamas had also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of setting "obstacles", including the latest escalation.
Israeli troops were again battling militants in areas that the army said had been largely cleared months ago in northern Gaza. Reportedly, most of the population of 2.3 million has been displaced, often multiple times.
Damage In Gaza Influenced Hamas To Soften Ceasefire
Several officials in the Middle East and the US believe the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by Israel's offensive operation is likely to have led to Hamas softening its demands for a ceasefire agreement.
Dropping its long-standing demand that Israeli promise to end the war as part of any ceasefire deal, Hamas over the weekend focused its shift on the hopes for progress in internationally brokered negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday boasted that military pressure -- including Israel's ongoing two-month offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah -- “is what has led Hamas to enter negotiations.”
Israeli Forces Hit With 'Particularly Lethal' IEDs: Report
The Palestinian fighters hit Israeli forces with at least five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as they advanced further into Tal al-Hawa on Monday, with two of those comprising "particularly lethal and advanced" explosively formed penetrators, Al Jazeera reported citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) report.
The US-based think tanks said that the latest raid by Israeli forces on the region came after it was "cleared" of Palestinian fighters. Meanwhile, the forces also claimed that the hundreds of houses have been rigged with explosive boobytraps across Gaza's Rafah.
(With AP inputs)
