GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hamas’ chief Ismail Haniyeh on Thursday accused Israel of dragging its feet in carrying out its obligations under an indirect cease-fire for the Gaza Strip, saying the fragile deal was in danger of collapsing.
Speaking to international journalists, Haniyeh said the 2 million residents of Gaza “have not felt” any improvement in their living condition, despite what he said were Israeli pledges to ease a crippling blockade on the territory. The unofficial truce was brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the U.N. after a round of heavy fighting in May.
“The understanding [is] in the danger zone because [Israel] doesn’t implement its obligations and deals with them with mood swings,” Haniyeh told reporters in Gaza City in a two-hour meeting organized by the Jerusalem-based Foreign Press Association. He called the deal “wobbly.”
Israel declined to comment on the accusation.
Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant group violently seized control of the coastal Palestinian enclave in 2007. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and says the blockade is needed to keep the group from arming.