Hamas official says ‘no sense’ in further truce talks
Speaking to AFP, senior Hamas official Basem Naim says, “There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip.”
He called on the international community “to pressure the Netanyahu government to end the crimes of hunger, thirst and killings” in Gaza.
The appeal comes a day after Netanyahu said the population of Gaza “will be moved” in an upcoming offensive, and as conditions in the enclave deteriorate from a crippling 65-day blockade.
Osama Hamdan outlines Hamas’s stance on disarmament, truce talks
The senior Hamas leader has spoken to Drop Site News about the group’s position 18 months into the Gaza war, discussing prospects for a truce, Israeli demands for disarmament, and the future governance of Gaza.
Key points from the interview:
- Hamas rejects any short-term truce that does not include firm commitments to a full Israeli retreat and an end to the war.
- The group refuses to disarm, as doing so would leave Palestinians defenceless against displacement. “You can’t talk about de-weaponising the nation who is under occupation, while they are occupied by the most powerful army in the region,” said Hamdan. He added that Palestinians have a legal right to armed resistance.
- Hamas will only surrender its weapons if the war ends and an independent Palestinian state is established. “If there was a Palestinian state, those weapons would be handed to the Palestinian government,” he said.
- The movement is open to a long-term truce – lasting five to seven years – which could help “build trust” and bring “stability”.
- After the war, Hamas is prepared to step down in favour of an independent or technocratic authority that prioritises Gaza’s interests ahead of general elections.
- Hamdan criticised the Palestinian Authority (PA), accusing it of cooperating with Israeli forces and failing to resist the occupation. He said PA President Mahmoud Abbas has “lost credibility” and respect among Palestinians, and described Abbas’s deputy and potential successor, Hussein al-Sheikh, as someone Israel sees as willing to “handle this dirty job” for it.
Many Palestinians not planning to follow future Israeli evacuation orders
Palestinians are definitely refusing [the Israeli military’s plan to expand the Gaza offensive] and [are] against any new evacuation orders.
They say they won’t repeat the mistake of evacuating to the southern part of the Strip, as they did in the early months of the war. They are very firm about not listening to any evacuation orders. Some Palestinians even say they are willing to die in their land, in their neighbourhoods, rather than go through displacement again and again.
However, they are scared, stressed and terrified… They have already been through horrifying experiences during previous Israeli invasions.
