Khalil al-Hayya, who heads Hamas’ negotiating team and leads the terrorist group’s Gaza operations, said Hamas is ready to immediately negotiate a comprehensive deal that includes the release of all hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the start of reconstruction efforts. “We will not be part of Netanyahu’s political cover for continuing the war,” he said.
He added that the group’s weapons and armed resistance “are a natural right” tied to the existence of occupation, rejecting the possibility of disarmament. The Hamas statement followed Israel’s submission of a proposal to Egyptian and Qatari mediators earlier this week. According to al-Hayya, Hamas had agreed to a mediator-backed plan at the end of Ramadan, but Netanyahu was intent on prolonging the war to serve his political future. In response, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who also serves as an additional minister in the Defense Ministry — called for a full military escalation in Gaza. “Israel will not surrender to Hamas and will not end the war without total victory,” he said in a statement. (Read More)
