Desk Report,
Israel rejects ceasefire offer, Hamas says ready for long war
Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the military wing of the Palestinian independence movement Hamas, said Israel had rejected a ceasefire offer in exchange for the release of all hostages. Ubaida added that Hamas was prepared to continue fighting for a long time if no deal was reached.
Israel rejects ceasefire offer, Hamas says ready for long war
Ubaida, a longtime spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, made the remarks in a nearly 20-minute video message. The pre-recorded video was released yesterday.
Hamas has made a “comprehensive offer” in recent months. It called for the release of all hostages at once, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-right ministers rejected it. “It is now clear to us that the criminal Netanyahu government is not sincere about the prisoners,” Ubaida said. Because they are all soldiers.’ He added that Hamas favors a comprehensive agreement that would end the war, completely withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza, and ensure humanitarian access for the besieged Palestinians.
If Israel again withdraws from the ongoing indirect talks in Qatar, Ubeida warned that there would be no possibility of a partial agreement in the future. This includes a proposed 60-day deal that would see the release of 10 hostages.
Hamas still holds 50 hostages in the Gaza Strip. About 20 of them are believed to be alive.
Meanwhile, during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House on Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed that 10 more prisoners from Gaza would be released very soon.
Trump said, ‘We have brought most of the prisoners back. Another 10 will be coming back very soon. And we hope that the whole thing will be over soon. ” He did not elaborate.
For weeks, Trump has been saying that a ceasefire and hostage release deal is inevitable. However, it has not materialized yet.
This is the first video message from Ubeida since early March. In the video, he said that Hamas fighters are ready to continue the war for a long time. They will continue to attack Israeli soldiers throughout Gaza to kill or capture them.
Abu Ubeida also harshly criticized the leaders of Arab and Islamic countries. He described the Arab countries’ silent role in Israel’s “genocide” as betrayal.
