Egypt changes ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the last minute to benefit the terrorist group

An Egyptian official blew up a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas this month by secretly changing the framework of the proposal already approved by the Jewish state to include more of the terror group’s demands, according to a report.

Three sources told CNN on Tuesday that the deal collapsed after a senior Egyptian intelligence official, Ahmed Abdel Khalek, made last-minute changes to an offer to Hamas without informing the Israelis, while keeping in ignoring the other mediators, the United States and Qatar.

“We were all deceived,” one of the sources reportedly said.

Abdel Khalek conveyed a set of conditions to Israel and another to Hamas, in which the Palestinian leadership received more of their demands, CNN reported.

“All parties were assuming that the Egyptians had provided the same document,” which Israel approved, one of the sources told the outlet.

The details approved by Hamas included the goal of achieving a permanent ceasefire and “lasting calm” during the second phase of the three-part deal, according to a Hamas document obtained by CNN.

Hamas announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza on May 6, but Israeli officials quickly noted that they had not approved the proposed framework because it was a “softened” version of what was initially on the table.

An Israeli official told Reuters at the time that it was a ruse by the terror group hoping to provoke a backlash against Israel for not accepting the deal.

Had a deal been reached, it could have led to a temporary halt to the fighting in Gaza as Israel prepared to enter Rafah and the release of some Israeli hostages and even more Palestinian prisoners.