Egyptian Intelligence altered terms of Gaza ceasefire presented to Hamas, derailing deal: Report

Smoke rises above buildings in the aftermath of Israeli bombardment in Rafah, on Friday. Pics/AFP

Egyptian intelligence quietly altered the terms of a ceasefire proposal that Israel had already signed earlier this month, which could have potentially released Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and set a pathway to temporarily end the fighting in Gaza, CNN reported citing three people familiar with the discussions. The ceasefire agreement that Hamas ended up announcing on May 6 was not what the Qataris or the Americans believed had been submitted to Hamas for a potential final review, sources said.

The changes made by Egyptian intelligence, the details of which have not been previously reported, led to a wave of anger and recrimination among officials from the US, Qatar and Israel, and left ceasefire talks at an impasse, CNN reported. "We were all duped," one of those sources told CNN. US's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Bill Burns, who has spearheaded the American efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement, was in the region when word reached him that the Egyptians had changed the terms of the deal. Burns was angry and embarrassed, the same person said, believing it made him look like he wasn't in the loop or hadn't informed the Israelis of the changes.

The soft-spoken and mild-mannered Burns "almost blew a gasket", said the source. A CIA spokesperson declined to comment. The three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that a senior Egyptian intelligence official named Ahmed Abdel Khalek was responsible for the changes. Abdel Khalek is a senior deputy to the Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, who has been Burns' counterpart in leading Egypt's mediation in the ceasefire talks, according to CNN.

One source familiar with the negotiations said Abdel Khalek told the Israelis one thing and Hamas another. More of Hamas' demands were inserted into the original framework that Israel had tacitly agreed to to secure Hamas' approval, the source said. But the other mediators were not informed; nor, critically, were the Israelis, according to the report.

"Hamas was telling their people, "We will have a deal in place tomorrow", the first source said. "All sides were under the assumption the Egyptians provided the same document" that Israel had signed off on and the other mediators, the US and Qatar, were aware of, the person said. Instead, the second source said, the Egyptians sought to blur the lines between the original framework and Hamas's response. The Egyptian government did not respond to a request for comment.

CNN reported that now, three weeks later, with ceasefire talks stalled, those involved are raising questions about the motives of Egypt, which has served as a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas, particularly Hamas members inside Gaza, according to CNN.

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