An Arab official on Sunday denied Hebrew media reports that Qatar had urged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian proposal for a hostage-ceasefire deal amid the terror group’s ongoing war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

The source — who is familiar with the negotiations and is not from Qatar — told The Times of Israel that the reports are being “manufactured” by Israeli officials, who are seeking to further harm the negotiations and deflect blame for the failure of the talks away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose demands have made an agreement all but impossible.

The Israeli premier has refused, in any agreement, to end the war or leave Hamas in power as the enclave’s governing body. Israel also refused, during a three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal earlier this year, to begin negotiations toward a permanent end to the war, instead allowing the agreement to collapse after its first phase.

Over the weekend, several Hebrew media outlets published reports that either cited only Israeli officials or no sources at all, claiming that Qatar had encouraged Hamas to reject a recent Egyptian proposal for a hostage deal by arguing that Doha could secure a better agreement in the form of a long-term truce.

Qatar has been a key mediator in hostage-ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, following the outbreak of war on October 7,........

© The Times of Israel