Hamas official: It is the duty of neighbouring countries to break the siege on Gaza

Senior Hamas Spokesperson Osama Hamdan held a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, where he stressed the responsibility of neighboring countries to take action in breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip. He conveyed a message to Israel and the United States, asserting that political maneuvers cannot achieve what is not accomplished on the ground. Hamdan highlighted the significance of the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, launched by the resistance when Israel attempted to undermine the Palestinian cause. He condemned the occupation army's threat of new massacres in Rafah, emphasizing its criminal nature.

Hamdan criticized the American administration, stating that the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood exposed its true intentions, contrasting its rhetoric on freedom and human rights. He called upon people in the region to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound starting from the first day of Ramadan. Despite emphasizing flexibility in negotiations, Hamdan reiterated their commitment to fully defend their people.

Hassan Barari, a political analyst based in Qatar, said that the Hamas leadership outside of the Gaza Strip is “entitled” to negotiate a ceasefire as the Hamas officials inside the blockaded territory are isolated and face almost zero communication.

“Communication is almost broken because everything is censored and the Hamas leaders inside Gaza are almost isolated from the world simply because of the continuous bombardment,” he said.

“But the political leadership outside Gaza are entitled to come up with a deal if the deal meets the demands of the people inside. We know the broad lines of the agreement from Hamas’s perspective is a ceasefire -whether permanent or not this is not a final say.

There will be an exchange of prisoners, and humanitarian aid to reach people especially in the northern parts of Gaza. If the leadership of Qatar and Egypt can reach a deal with the Israelis on these issues, then I think the [Hamas leadership] inside Gaza will be happy simply because they cannot take part in these negotiations – they have to rely on the external leadership.”

Barari also said that Hamas is refusing to give Israel the names of captives in the Gaza Strip because it regards this as intelligence.

“Probably Hamas will provide the information later on if there is a deal looming. But at this point is it difficult for Hamas to give [the Israelis] these details because they will interpret this – in the case a deal is not reached – as providing them with intelligence necessary for them.”

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