Hamas has received reassurances from Egyptian and Turkish mediators that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent rejection of a Gaza peace roadmap is mere election rhetoric ahead of Israel’s October parliamentary vote, a senior official in the Palestinian group told Al Manassa.
The assurances come as Hamas leaders hold intensive consultations in Egypt to gauge whether Washington will pressure Israel to proceed with the proposal.
While mediators insist the US administration remains committed to implementing President Donald Trump’s Gaza framework, senior Hamas officials warn that Netanyahu’s stance could effectively freeze reconstruction and stabilization efforts in the enclave until Israeli elections conclude.
A Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said messages received from US officials included commitments to pressure Netanyahu in the coming period to halt military escalation and cease targeting healthcare facilities and police personnel in Gaza, pending the start of reconstruction and stabilization measures.
Hamas leaders are currently meeting in El Alamein, Egypt, to discuss the enclave’s future and follow up on the decisions of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit. Maj. Gen. Hassan Rashad, head of Egyptian General Intelligence, met on Sunday with the Hamas delegation, led by Political Bureau chief Khalil Al-Hayya.
The delegation includes Mohammad Darwish, head of the Shura Council; Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas abroad; Zaher Jabarin, head of the negotiating team; and Bassem Naim, head of the Arab and Islamic relations office. The official characterized the visit as consultative rather than negotiatory, intended primarily to test the mediators' assurances.
Most delegation members are scheduled to leave Cairo on Monday evening. However, Jabarin’s negotiating team will remain in the Egyptian capital to arrange a potential meeting with US presidential envoy Jared Kushner if progress occurs, the source explained to Al Manassa.
A second senior Hamas official expressed skepticism about whether the mediator assurances would yield rapid results. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official noted that even if Netanyahu’s statements represent campaign rhetoric, the practical outcome remains a total stall.
“We do not expect any serious movement on the Gaza file, whether regarding the entry of the National Committee or starting reconstruction steps, before the results of the Israeli elections are announced,” the second official said. “The file will remain suspended and frozen until then.”
Netanyahu had publicly rejected the 15-point roadmap proposed by the US-backed Board of Peace a week ago, stating for the first time that the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza prior to the complete disarmament of Hamas, and that he would never accept a Palestinian state in Gaza or the West Bank.
The roadmap, originally proposed in May by a council led by diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, relies on a principle of reciprocity, where each step by one side is matched by a step from the other after verification by an independent international committee.
It outlines a sequence beginning with a consolidated ceasefire, opening border crossings, and delivering humanitarian aid, followed by the deployment of an international force to oversee security, transition management, and reconstruction ahead of a return by the Palestinian Authority.
On security, the plan mandates the gradual disarmament of Palestinian factions under Palestinian leadership and international oversight. Disarmed weapons would be stored inside Gaza under the supervision of the Palestinian-led National Committee for Gaza Management, rather than turned over to Israel.
Israeli troop withdrawals would progress incrementally alongside verified disarmament stages, allowing reconstruction to begin in cleared areas.
Netanyahu’s position differs from the roadmap's phased framework by requiring complete disarmament as a prerequisite to any Israeli military withdrawal. Hamas gave preliminary approval to the council's disarmament mechanism late last month.
