Hamas Adhering to Its Conditions for Prisoner Deal: Haniyeh-Exclusive

By Al Mayadeen English

The head of Hamas's Political Bureau tells Al Mayadeen that the Israeli government shall not retrieve its captives in Gaza except through "an honorable deal."

The head of Hamas's Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, reiterated told Al Mayadeen that the Palestinian Resistance group is adhering to its conditions in negotiations and will not engage in any deal with "Israel" without their fulfillment.

Haniyeh emphasized the Resistance's insistence on the necessity of declaring a permanent and clear ceasefire in Gaza.

He made it clear that the Israeli occupation has not eliminated Hamas, and shall not eliminate it, pointing out that the Israeli government has not retrieved its captives held in Gaza and shall not retrieve them except through "an honorable deal."

The Palestinian leader affirmed the Resistance's insistence on the complete withdrawal and the return of the displaced people to Gaza without any conditions or barriers, in addition to the conditions regarding relief and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, leading to a prisoner exchange deal.

Haniyeh touched on Israeli media's speculations that the Israeli assassination of his sons and grandchildren is aimed at pressuring Hamas to ease its demands during ceasefire negotiations, underlining that "this will not happen."

The Hamas chief indicated that the massacres and crimes committed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza reflect its strategic failure after not achieving its declared goals of the war.

"Israel, the spoiled child of the West, is no longer as it once was, and its image has been shattered," he told Al Mayadeen, adding that what is happening in the "corridors of diplomacy" indicates an unprecedented isolation for the Israeli occupation entity.

Addressing the entire nation, Haniyeh highlighted that the ongoing genocide in Gaza requires a different stance from the past six months.