The United States has accused Hamas of lacking genuine intent to reach a ceasefire agreement, but Hamas has pushed back, calling the allegations misleading and inconsistent with mediator evaluations. In a statement on Saturday, Izzat al-Rishq, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, responded: “We are stunned by the remarks from U.S. President Trump and his special envoy Whitkoff. These claims contradict the assessments of the mediators and misrepresent Hamas’s position.” On Friday, President Trump blamed Hamas for derailing ceasefire talks and warned that the group would now "face consequences." A day earlier, U.S. envoy Whitkoff said the group lacked “sufficient goodwill,” prompting the U.S. to scale back its involvement in the negotiations. Al-Rishq, however, argued that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government remains the real obstacle to peace and is being deliberately overlooked. Hamas also accused Israel of stealing humanitarian aid meant for civilians in Gaza.