Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging efforts by mediators involved in ongoing talks aimed at a truce and hostage exchange in Gaza, AFP reports.

Qatar-based Haniyeh said Netanyahu wanted to “invent constant justifications for the continuation of aggression, expanding the circle of conflict, and sabotaging efforts made through various mediators and parties”.

The leader of Hamas’s political office said the United States had “provided cover for this occupation, should be the one to stop it instead of supplying it with weapons of destruction and extermination”.

Haniyeh added that Hamas “remains eager to reach a comprehensive and interconnected agreement in stages, ending the aggression, ensuring withdrawal, and achieving a serious prisoner exchange deal”.