In complete secrecy: Egypt altered the hostage deal terms before handing to Hamas – report

Qatari officials have denied involvement with the altered deal, placing the blame squarely on Egypt.

MAARIV JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Updated: MAY 22, 2024 00:31

Palestinians react after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 6, 2024. In Israel, protesters block a highway demanding the immediate release of hostages.(photo credit: REUTERS, REUTERS/SHANNON STAPLETON)Egypt altered ceasefire terms before handing agreements to Hamas, three anonymous sources told CNN News in a report published on Tuesday.

According to the report, Egypt changed the details of the deal submitted to the Hamas terrorist organization after it had been signed by Israel and before reaching Hamas. It was also reported that this move led to great anger among Israel, the US, and Qatar against the Egyptians.

One source even claimed that the Egyptians “deceived us all.”

Who was behind the altered agreement?

A senior Egyptian intelligence official named Ahmed Abdel Khalek was reportedly responsible for the change. A source claimed that Khalek had been telling Hamas one thing and Israel another.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani assured Mossad that Egypt had acted alone in making the changes, two of the informants told CNN.

DEMONSTRATORS RALLY for the release of the hostages on Saturday night at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. Prolonged exposure to darkness for several months can lead to eye and vision disorders which can have lasting, severe consequences, says the writer. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
The ceasefire deal announced by Hamas on May 6 had not been the deal constructed by the US or Qatar, the sources said.

An Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas’s response and relayed it to Israel.

“Several alternatives and scenarios were proposed to overcome the main point of contention related to ending the war,” said the source.

“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.

CIA Director Bill Burns, who helped orchestrate the unaltered version of the hostage deal, was reportedly both angry and embarrassed that the deal had been altered without US, or Israeli knowledge.

Burns “almost blew a gasket,” said the source.

Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-802124.