Amid ongoing efforts by international and regional mediators to push Israel and Hamas to accept the American proposal for a ceasefire agreement and prisoner exchange in Gaza, Hamas affirmed that it will not exit Gaza. Ghazi Hamad, a member of the movement's political bureau, said last night, "They will not remove us from the Palestinian political equation." He further asserted in an interview on the "Al-Hekaya" program on MBC Egypt that "Hamas will not leave Gaza; rather, it is the occupation that will leave."
Hamad confirmed that the proposal presented by U.S. President Joe Biden last Friday included many elements that Hamas had initially proposed, noting that the U.S. administration had previously implied that the new plan was presented by Israel. He emphasized that it entails a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal in the second phase from the Strip, and the unconditional return of displaced persons.
Regarding the formation of a national unity government, Hamad stated that President Abbas is the sole obstacle to this. He added that the Palestinian Authority cannot return to Gaza on the back of a tank, calling for its resignation as there can be no authority under occupation, according to him. He stressed that the movement is not clinging to rule over Gaza and is seeking a national consensus government, but accused Abbas of not engaging positively on this matter despite the idea having been presented to him by the movement in various forms, he claimed.
On the Egyptian-Qatari mediation, he affirmed that there are no Egyptian or Qatari pressures on Hamas, but rather attempts to find exits and solutions during the negotiations. As for the CNN report suggesting Egyptian manipulation of the negotiation papers, he categorically denied it, viewing it as mere lies.
Ofer Falk, the political advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described the plan as less than perfect and requiring discussion on some unclear points; however, he confirmed that it is sufficient to release all Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip.
The plan proposed by Biden includes three phases leading gradually to a complete ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all prisoners in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all areas of the Gaza Strip, followed by the commencement of reconstruction.
However, the issue of "eliminating Hamas," which Israel considers fundamental, has not been included in the proposal according to some Israeli statements to date, which has led Netanyahu to face criticism from some far-right ministers in his government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Among the 252 Israelis captured during the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli settlements and military bases in the Gaza vicinity, 124 Israelis are still being held in the Strip, including 37 who have died, according to the Israeli military.
