TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / September 5, 2024
Al-Hayya urged the US administration to abandon its one-sided support of Israel if it genuinely seeks a deal and to pressure Israel into honoring its agreements.
Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau of Hamas, reaffirmed on Thursday the movement’s commitment to accepting US President Joe Biden’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange, despite ongoing delays by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in reaching an agreement.
In a press conference, al-Hayya said that Hamas does not require additional proposals for negotiations, insisting on holding Israel accountable for its commitments, especially in light of Netanyahu’s attempts to avoid fulfilling obligations.
“The series of evasions and deceptive maneuvers that Netanyahu is employing to avoid reaching a ceasefire agreement has become entirely exposed to the mediators, the US administration, the global public opinion, and even the Israeli public,” Al-Hayya said, adding:
“The world has reached a clear understanding of the reasons for the disruption of the negotiation process and who is obstructing the agreement, continuously creating excuses to thwart efforts to reach a deal.”
The senior Hamas official also rejected any notion of restarting negotiations from scratch or falling into a repetitive cycle, which he believes serves Netanyahu’s objectives.
Al-Hayya urged the US administration to abandon its one-sided support of Israel if it genuinely seeks a deal and to pressure Israel into honoring its agreements.
“If the US administration and President Biden truly want to achieve a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal, they must abandon their blind bias towards the zionist occupation, apply real pressure on Netanyahu and his government, and compel them to abide by what has already been agreed upon,” he said.
Al-Hayya further stated that any agreement must include a halt to Israeli aggression, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, including from the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah crossing, the return of displaced Palestinians without restrictions, relief for the Palestinian people, and the reconstruction of Gaza. This, he said, would pave the way for a meaningful prisoner exchange deal.
“We state clearly that the objective is not to introduce new formulas and proposals, nor to spin around in an empty cycle, nor to return to square one,” Al-Hayya said.
“What is needed is to build on all the efforts made, implement what has been agreed upon, and carry out what was mentioned in Biden’s speech and the Security Council resolution, which the movement approved on July 2,” the top Hamas official stated.
Al-Hayya also criticized Israel for obstructing the agreement through violence and setting unreasonable conditions, noting that the military escalation aimed at freeing Israeli captives by force has failed.
“Netanyahu’s folly and his continued evasion and stalling in reaching an agreement have led to the killing of more of his captives in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Al-Hayya expressed his support for the “brave (Palestinian) resistance from all factions”, praising “ their heroism, iron will, and steadfastness in the face of the terrorist killing machine”.
These comments come after Reuters news agency reported that a senior US official revealed that a new draft agreement on a prisoner exchange could be presented as early as next week.
The proposal aims to address key points, including the status of the Philadelphi Corridor and the lists of prisoners to be exchanged, as the war on Gaza continues into its 335th day.
Ongoing genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,878 Palestinians have been killed, and 94,454 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
