The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has made it clear that it won’t be giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu any “free gifts” by releasing hostages without a complete cessation of war. “We won’t give Netanyahu free gifts by liberating prisoners without a complete halt to the war,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, in a statement published by the ‘Filastin’ newspaper, which is affiliated with Hamas. This comes as Netanyahu has requested an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement to secure the release of hostages without implementing the second phase, which involves the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave.
It’s worth noting that the Israeli authorities’ decision to block humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip has been met with strong opposition from Hamas, with Abu Zuhri denouncing the move as a “war crime.” He emphasized that Netanyahu is attempting to undermine the agreement and spark new negotiations, which Hamas will not accept. “The occupation’s threats of siege and starvation do not intimidate us and are useless – the occupation will not recover its hostages except through a prisoner exchange agreement, and we will not respond to pressure or dictates,” Abu Zuhri added. Just hours earlier, Hamas had issued a statement highlighting that the ongoing closure of Gaza’s crossings to humanitarian aid is a “crime of collective punishment against innocent civilians and a blatant violation of International Humanitarian Law.”
International Community Urged to Act
In light of this, Hamas has called upon regional countries, the United Nations, and the international community to take urgent measures to put an end to this humanitarian crime and work immediately to deliver aid and break the siege that threatens the lives of over two million Palestinians. Ismail al-Thawabta, the head of the Gaza government’s press office, echoed this sentiment in a statement to ‘Filastin’, saying that Israel’s continued evasion of its humanitarian obligations confirms that it is not interested in stability or a real solution, but rather seeks to exacerbate the humanitarian situation as a means of political pressure.
Crisis Worsening by the Day
He argued that this requires a firm international stance to ensure the immediate entry of aid and an end to the policy of starvation and collective punishment. “We reiterate our call to mediators and the international community to pressure the occupation to bring aid immediately, fulfill its commitments, and put an end to these crimes against our people,” al-Thawabta expressed. Since the signing of the first phase agreement, Israel was supposed to allow the entry of 600 trucks per day, totaling around 25,000 aid trucks. However, al-Thawabta noted that Israel has failed to meet this obligation and has instead systematically reduced the number of trucks allowed in. “What has actually entered only covers 20 percent of the basic needs, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis,” he pointed out, adding that essential materials such as medicine, fuel, shelter materials, and equipment necessary for humanitarian services have either not entered or have entered in insufficient quantities.
Meanwhile, Hazem Qasem, one of Hamas’ spokespersons, emphasized that the Palestinian group has agreed to exclude itself from the future administration of the enclave as long as it is done with national consensus. “We will not be an obstacle to any agreement in Gaza as long as it has national consensus, and we can reach a consensus Palestinian approach with Arab support,” Qasem stated. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the international community will respond to the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the diplomatic efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.