Khalil Al-Hayya (right). Photo: Reuters file
Hamas' acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya stated in a broadcast on Wednesday that no prisoner-for-hostage swap deal would be made with Israel unless the conflict in the Palestinian territory concluded. 'Without the cessation of the war, there can be no prisoner exchange,' Hayya declared during an interview on the group's Al-Aqsa television channel, reinforcing the organization's stance on ending the conflict. 'If the aggression persists, why would the resistance, especially Hamas, release the prisoners (hostages)? How could a rational or irrational person relinquish a powerful card they hold while the war continues?' he questioned.
Hayya, who headed the group's negotiation team with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, attributed the lack of progress to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in turn blames Hamas for the stalled negotiations. 'There are ongoing contacts with certain countries and mediators to revive this negotiation file. We are prepared to continue these efforts, but it is crucial to witness a genuine commitment from the occupation to end the aggression,' Hayya noted. 'The reality demonstrates that Netanyahu is the one undermining the negotiations,' he added.
During a visit to Gaza on Tuesday, Netanyahu asserted that Hamas would not govern the Palestinian territory post-war and that Israel had dismantled the group's military capabilities. Netanyahu also mentioned that Israel had not ceased its efforts to locate the 101 remaining hostages believed to be in the territory and offered a $5 million reward for each one's return.
Hamas seeks a deal that concludes the war and includes the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. In contrast, Netanyahu vowed that the war would only end once Hamas is eradicated. Qatar, a significant ceasefire mediator alongside Egypt, informed Hamas and Israel that it would suspend its mediation efforts unless both parties exhibited 'willingness and seriousness' to reach an agreement.
On November 19, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari stated that the political office of Hamas in Doha had not been permanently closed. Earlier this month, Reuters quoted a US official saying Washington had requested Qatar to expel the group, and Doha relayed this message to Hamas. Al-Ansari explained that the Hamas office was established to facilitate mediation efforts to end the Gaza war.
Hayya mentioned that Hamas had welcomed an Egyptian proposal for Hamas to form an administrative committee with the rival Fatah movement of President Mahmoud Abbas to govern the Gaza Strip, addressing the unresolved issue of how the territory would be managed post-conflict. However, an agreement has yet to be finalized. Israel opposes any Hamas role in governing Gaza after the war and does not trust Abbas' Palestinian Authority to take over the territory's administration.
The 2023 attack on Israel, which shattered the country's aura of invincibility, marked its bloodiest day in history, with 1,200 fatalities and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli records. Israel retaliated with its most devastating offensive in Gaza, resulting in nearly 44,000 deaths and 103,898 injuries, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, transforming the territory into a wasteland of rubble with millions in desperate need of food, fuel, water, and sanitation.
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