According to CNN, an Egyptian spy disrupted a potential cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas by surreptitiously altering its conditions before delivering it to both parties involved.
According to the report, the deal that Israel had already agreed to was altered by the intelligence official, Ahmed Abdel Khalek. He included more of Hamas’ demands in the framework in order to secure their approval.
According to CNN, Abdel Khalek works for Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt’s general intelligence service.
According to CNN, a major point of disagreement in the agreement revolved around the concept of achieving “sustainable calm” in the second phase. Israel maintains its opposition to discussing an end to the war until Hamas is defeated and all of its hostages are released.
The passing of the deal could have resulted in the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, offering a temporary pause in the ongoing combat. US officials have been advocating for a temporary ceasefire, believing that halting the fighting could create an opportunity for a more sustainable peace.
According to CNN, the spy’s secret changes blindsided and angered officials involved in the talks from Qatar, the US, and Israel.
Business Insider reached out to both the CIA and the State Department for comment, but we did not receive an immediate response from either agency.
Hamas declared its agreement to the deal on May 6th, with the assistance of Qatar and Egypt in the negotiation process. During that time, an Israeli official, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated to Reuters that the announcement was a deceptive tactic aimed at portraying Israel as the party refusing to accept the deal.
Mediators were hopeful that the agreement would prevent Israel from escalating its incursion into Rafah. However, the situation in Rafah continues to worsen.
The scuttled cease-fire is also a blow to US President Joe Biden, who is currently engaged in a heated race against Donald Trump. However, Biden faces backlash from left-wing voters who criticize him for allegedly endorsing the use of Israeli weaponry, resulting in the loss of innocent Palestinian lives in Gaza.
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