347 shares Palestinians holding Hamas movement green flags attend a protest in solidarity with Muslim worshipers in Jerusalem, in Gaza City, April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) Hamas has rejected a message sent by Israel via Egyptian mediators calling to prevent a further escalation of violence and a potential deterioration into a wide-ranging conflict, a Lebanese newspaper reported on Saturday. According to the report in the Al-Akhbar daily, widely considered a mouthpiece for Hezbollah, Israel sent the message to Hamas through the Egyptian mediators who have held talks with officials from the terror group over the past two days. However, according to the report cited by the Kan public broadcaster, Hamas responded that “events on the ground” showed that Israel does not wish for a de-escalation and that therefore a truce between the sides was unlikely in the near future.