The Palestinian resistance group Hamas denied a report Monday that it plans to move its political bureau from Qatar to the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

« There is no truth to what Sky News Arabia reported, citing The National newspaper, of allegations that Hamas plans to leave Qatar and head to Iraq, » Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the political bureau, said in a statement on his Telegram account.

The United Arab Emirates-based The National quoted sources that said the Iraqi government granted approval in May to Hamas to open the bureau in Iraq and that « Iran will be responsible for protecting Hamas’s leaders, offices and personnel in Baghdad. »

The newspaper said the decision to move the bureau was made to avoid pressure from Qatar and the US to show flexibility in negotiations with Israel for a deal in Gaza.

Mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US, Israel and Hamas have been engaged in months of stalled indirect negotiations to reach a cease-fire agreement.

Hamas statement comes just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that the « intense phase » of the war is nearing its end.

Israel has escalated its bombardment of Gaza, leading to the deaths of 13 people in two schools and a home in Gaza City. Meanwhile, the United States has urged Israel to avoid further escalation along the Lebanon border, where daily cross-border fire with Hezbollah has heightened fears of a broader conflict.