Hamas official makes plea for Palestinian prisoners suffering in Israeli jails
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan gave a press briefing in Beirut addressing the plight of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Hamdan highlighted Israel’s arrest of more than 9,500 Palestinians, including 200 children, since October 7 while accusing troops of committing “field executions” in Gaza. Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, he said, are routinely subjected to torture, beatings and being bound so tightly their limbs eventually have to be amputated.
Eighteen prisoners have been killed in custody, he added.
The alleged abuses of Palestinians are flagrant violations of international law, Hamdan said, calling for international intervention to put an end to such acts.
Hamas waiting for ‘clear Israeli position on permanent ceasefire’
Continuing with his news conference in Beirut, Hamas official Osama Hamdan responded to the three-stage ceasefire plan put forward by US President Biden.
He called into question Israel’s commitment to the deal, saying its government has yet to relay a clear position on several key points, namely a “permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Gaza”.
Hamdan said statements by officials indicate Israel aims to secure the release of their captives during a temporary truce – outlined in stage one of the plan – before continuing the war.
This goes against the principle of the deal, which calls for a permanent ceasefire to be negotiated in the second stage and then Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza. “We cannot agree to an agreement that does not secure a final ceasefire,” said Hamdan.
‘There is no safety in Gaza,’ UN humanitarian chief says
Martin Griffiths says the UN does not have capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza and in the enclave’s central area.
“Because of the insecurity, because of the fighting, [there are] fewer and fewer aid workers in those places to be able to manage distribution,” Griffiths told reporters.
He also stressed that the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip remains wholly insufficient and called for more crossings to be opened.
“We know what we need, and we know what we haven’t got,” Griffiths said. “We need fuel and it’s not being brought in in great numbers. We need truckloads of food that get through.”
