Khalil al-Hayya, the acting chief of Hamas in Gaza, has stated that there will not be a hostages-for-prisoners swap with Israel unless the conflict in the Palestinian territory comes to an end.
“Without an end to the war, there can be no prisoner swap,” Mr. Hayya mentioned in a televised conversation with Al-Aqsa, the group’s television channel, reinforcing the organization’s stance on resolving the conflict.
“If the aggression is not halted, why would the resistance, particularly Hamas, return the hostages?” he questioned. “Why would any reasonable or unreasonable person relinquish a strong card while the war is still ongoing?”
Attempts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza have faltered, with the US having vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that advocated for an unconditional, permanent truce. The US ambassador to the UN indicated that Washington would only support a resolution that specifically demands the immediate release of Israeli hostages in connection with a ceasefire.
Israeli military actions in Gaza have concentrated on the northern part of the territory for several weeks.
“There are ongoing discussions with several countries and mediators to revive this negotiation process. We are open to pursuing these efforts, but it is crucial to see a genuine willingness from the occupying side to end the aggression,” he asserted.
“The current situation shows that Netanyahu is the one undermining these negotiations,” he added.
During his visit to Gaza yesterday, Mr. Netanyahu asserted that Hamas would not govern the Palestinian territory after the war concludes, claiming that Israel had dismantled the group’s military capacity.
Hamas has expressed support for Egypt’s proposal regarding post-war governance in Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu also stated that Israel has not abandoned the search for the 101 hostages who are believed to still be within the enclave, offering a $5 million reward for each one’s return.
Hamas seeks a deal that would conclude the war while facilitating the release of both Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. In contrast, Mr. Netanyahu has vowed that the conflict can only conclude once Hamas has been eliminated.
Qatar, a principal mediator of the ceasefire negotiations alongside Egypt, indicated that it would pause its mediation efforts unless both Hamas and Israel demonstrated “willingness and seriousness” in reaching an agreement.
On November 19, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, Majed Al-Ansari, confirmed that Hamas’s political office in Doha had not been permanently closed.
Palestinian and UN officials assert that no area within the enclave is safe.
A few weeks ago, Reuters reported that a US official stated Washington requested Qatar to expel Hamas, and that the message was communicated to the group.
Mr. Al-Ansari explained that Hamas’s office was established to facilitate mediation aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict.
Mr. Hayya revealed that Hamas welcomed an Egyptian initiative advocating for the formation of an administrative committee to govern Gaza in collaboration with the rival Fatah movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas, addressing critical questions about the region’s governance post-conflict.
However, an agreement remains unfinalized, Mr. Hayya noted. Israel opposes any role for Hamas in administering Gaza after the war and does not trust Mr. Abbas’s Palestinian Authority to take over the governance.
Israeli airstrikes have led to the deaths of dozens in Gaza, prompting hospitals to issue distress calls.
Health officials reported that Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians, including a rescue worker, as military operations intensified in the northern part of the territory, targeting hospitals and demolishing homes.
Medics noted that at least 12 individuals died from an Israeli strike on a residential building in the Jabalia area, with at least ten people still unaccounted for as rescue operations proceeded. Another casualty was reported due to tank shelling nearby.
In Al-Mawasi, a humanitarian-designated area in western Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed seven Palestinians, including a girl, according to Gaza medics.
Patients are receiving medical treatment on the floor of a hospital in Gaza.
Palestinian and UN officials maintain that there is no safe location within the enclave.
Another airstrike on a house in the Remal neighborhood of Gaza City claimed four lives, while an additional strike on a school sheltering displaced families in the central Gaza Strip resulted in three deaths and injured at least 20 others, according to medics.
Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, one of the three medical facilities barely operational in the besieged northern region, stated that the hospital was bombed in all its departments without warning while they were attempting to save an injured patient in intensive care.
“Following the arrest of 45 medical and surgical staff members and the denial of entry to a replacement team, we are now losing wounded patients daily who could have survived had resources been available,” he communicated to Reuters in a text message.
Read more: US vetoes UN resolution over ceasefire in Gaza. US envoy to travel to Israel to try to finalize truce talks.
“Unfortunately, food and water are not permitted access, and even a single ambulance is not allowed entry to the north,” he added.
There were 85 injured patients, including children and women, at the hospital, with six in intensive care.
A total of 17 children arrived displaying signs of malnutrition due to food shortages, and one man died from dehydration recently, Abu Safiya reported.
Israeli military operations have concentrated on the northern edge of Gaza for weeks, besieging three major towns and instructing residents to evacuate.
Residents of these three towns—Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun—reported that military forces had demolished dozens of homes.
Palestinians allege that Israel is determined to permanently depopulate the area to establish a buffer zone along the northern border of Gaza, a claim that Israel denies.
