BEIRUT, (PIC)
Hamas said on Wednesday evening that the Movement is open to discussing “any agreement” that ensures a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the complete withdrawal of occupying forces.
The media advisor to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Taher Al-Nunu, mentioned in statements to the press that Israel is only discussing one point: a partial or complete prisoner exchange. He emphasized that this exchange process will not necessarily lead to a comprehensive cessation of aggression and withdrawal from Gaza, which the Movement rejects.
He views the ongoing announcements about progress in the deal, or that the Israeli government wants a partial ceasefire or temporary truce and a partial exchange deal, as mere media talk aimed at “wasting time.” He added that these discussions are part of media campaigns in Israel and the US related to the American elections.
He noted that the American administration recently demanded the release of American prisoners, which will only happen by pressuring the occupation army to stop its aggression on Gaza and withdraw completely from the area.
Al-Nunu confirmed that the Movement has no “veto” against listening to mediators if they have any offer, pointing out that they have previously expressed their view that a temporary halt followed by a return to aggression is unacceptable; they only accept a permanent cessation of war on Gaza.
In another context, he said that during the most difficult circumstances the Movement faced, it had a leadership and a framework to rely on, stressing that “the leadership that was in charge of negotiations remains the same.”
He emphasized that Hamas’s leadership exists both inside and outside Gaza and makes decisions, and that the armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, is also making field decisions to confront the aggression on Gaza. He asserted that “the Movement in the past, present, and future will not submit to anyone who thinks they can pressure it in any way, despite all these sacrifices.”
Regarding the global silence on the crimes committed by the occupation army daily in Gaza against the population there, Al-Nunu noted that “the humanitarian catastrophe is not just what is happening on the ground against our people in Gaza, especially in the north, but the real catastrophe is the world’s silence and allowing the occupation army to do what it is doing without any action.”
He pointed out that “the occupation army has not left any form of crime without committing it, including killing, siege, and destruction. All these Israeli crimes are happening before the eyes and ears of the world, and no one is lifting a finger.”
Al-Nunu added that “the greatest catastrophe is represented by supplying Israel with weapons that are used to kill children and women in Gaza and Lebanon.”
He concluded by saying, “The United Nations has lost its justification for existence in maintaining international peace and security. Unfortunately, the entire international community today is powerless in the face of what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon.”
With US support, the Israeli occupation army has been waging a devastating genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of over 144,000 Palestinians, most of whom are children and women. More than 10,000 are missing, amid massive destruction and famine that has claimed the lives of dozens of children and the elderly.
In defiance of the international community, Israel continues its massacres in Gaza, ignoring the UN Security Council’s resolution to stop them immediately and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
