Ramzi Mahmud and Mohammad Sio
19 August 2026•Update: 19 August 2026
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday of deliberately undermining ceasefire talks while reaffirming its commitment to the Gaza ceasefire deal and urging the US and mediators to pressure Israel to honor it.
The Palestinian group issued the statement after an Israeli strike on a cafe at the port in Gaza City killed six Palestinians, including a child, and injured others.
It said the “new massacre” represented “a deliberate escalation” and accused Israel of seeking to undermine efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and advance implementation of the agreement.
“The timing of the crime, following recent talks in Cairo and ongoing mediation efforts, demonstrated beyond any doubt Netanyahu's intention to sabotage negotiations,” it added.
The group also accused Netanyahu of seeking to derail regional and international efforts to advance US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan and the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement.
Hamas said it and other Palestinian factions remained “serious and responsible” in seeking to ensure the agreement's success, citing their recent meetings with US envoy Jared Kushner and mediators.
It called on the US administration, mediators and guarantors “to pressure the Israeli government to honor the agreement, halt its crimes, and prevent Netanyahu from obstructing the Sharm el-Sheikh deal.”
Earlier Tuesday, an Israeli drone strike on a crowded cafe at the fishermen's port west of Gaza City killed six Palestinians, including a child, and wounded 14 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, a medical source and witnesses.
Netanyahu has previously rejected a 15-point Gaza plan and insisted that Hamas be disarmed first, despite a roadmap issued by the US-led Board of Peace on July 31 calling for Hamas's disarmament and a gradual, parallel Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu has demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas before Israel begins withdrawing its forces from Gaza. Hamas, meanwhile, says it is willing to give up its weapons only if the move is accompanied by a gradual and orderly Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
Mediators continue efforts to advance implementation of a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025. Israeli violations of the agreement have led to the deaths 1,266 Palestinians and the wounding of 4,200, according to the latest Gaza Health Ministry figures.
Israel has waged a genocide in Gaza since Oct. 8, 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000, most of them women and children. The offensive has also caused widespread destruction across the territory.
