The Hamas movement stated in a declaration that the words of Netanyahu represent a reversal in the negotiation process and reveal the reason for his withdrawal from the last round, despite it being close to an agreement. Hamas emphasized in their statement that Gaza is resilient against Israel and that any new aggression will be costly for Israel and its military. The Palestinian movement urged Arab and Islamic countries and the international community to act swiftly to condemn these statements, stop the aggression, and hold Israeli leaders accountable for their crimes.
This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Thursday that Israel intends to ensure its security by distancing the Palestinian Hamas movement from it. He explained in remarks to American media, in response to a question about whether Israel plans to control the entire region: “We intend, to ensure our security, to distance Hamas from there and enable the population to live freely… and hand it over to a civil administration that is neither from Hamas nor calls for the destruction of Israel.”
He added that at the same time, “Israel does not want to retain it,” but intends to establish a security perimeter. Netanyahu continued, “We want to hand over the Gaza Strip to Arab forces that govern it properly without threatening us and provide a decent life for the residents of Gaza, which is not possible with Hamas.”
The Israeli security council is expected to hold a meeting today, Thursday, to discuss the possibility of expanding military operations in the Gaza Strip, a move anticipated to provoke widespread opposition both internationally and within Israel, including from families of those held by the Hamas movement.
Gaza has been witnessing the most intense war in the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since October 7, 2023, after Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in response to a surprise attack by the Palestinian Hamas movement on southern Israel. The war has caused massive destruction in the besieged sector and resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, most of whom are civilians, amid an almost complete collapse of the health and humanitarian infrastructure.
With the imposed blockade and blocked land routes, delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza’s residents has become a daunting task, especially in the northern and central areas. International and Arab efforts, including air-dropping aid, have intensified in an attempt to alleviate the escalating humanitarian catastrophe, amid warnings of an imminent famine and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
