Hayye’s Interview with Al Jazeera
Speaking to Qatar-based Al Jazeera Television, Hamas official Ismail Hayye said that there were no real negotiations at the moment. “Unfortunately, this process is full of evasive answers and waste of time. Negotiations have been going on for two weeks, but we still haven’t achieved any concrete results,” he said.
Recalling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence that they will not withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor separating the north and south of the Gaza Strip and the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, Hayye said, “I also clearly state that there will be no agreement until there is a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”
Hayye, who expressed Netanyahu’s desire to continue the war, emphasized that this situation means that reaching an agreement will come at a cost and that Netanyahu does not want to pay this price. Regarding the six Israeli prisoners found dead in the city of Rafah in Gaza, he said, “These prisoners could have been reunited with their families through an agreement. However, the insistence of the Israeli army and Netanyahu caused the deaths of these people and cost “the lives of many who were protecting them.”
Hayye said that some Israeli prisoners were killed directly by Israeli soldiers’ bullets, and noted that Netanyahu and his team did not care about these prisoners. “Netanyahu is trying to portray himself as a hero. However, these six prisoners were directly killed by the occupier; they lost their lives as a result of the bombardments,” he said.
Noting that there was a young American citizen among the six prisoners killed, Hayye stated that they aimed to have this young man released in a possible prisoner exchange in line with Qatar’s request. “We had delivered a video recording to the Qataris of that young man talking to his parents. The young man addressed the Israeli government in the video. After a while, the Qassam Brigades announced that communication with that young man and those protecting him had been “This shows that the young man in question was directly subjected to an invasion attack. No information could be obtained about him since that day, and he was found dead with some other prisoners,” he said.
Hayye, who also touched upon the stages of the ceasefire and prisoner swap process in Gaza, stated that Netanyahu had no intention of making an agreement at all stages of the negotiations. Hayye, who stated that Netanyahu had killed hundreds of Palestinians with his army and made attempts to return only two or three prisoners, said, “If Netanyahu really wants a prisoner swap, we are ready for it immediately. In fact, we have shown serious flexibility for the prisoner swap and the cessation of war against our people.”
Claiming that the US was responsible for the disruption of the negotiations, Hayye said, “The US quickly backed down from the offer it presented. Negotiations had been ongoing through mediators since March. We insisted on a ceasefire, prisoner exchange, the occupier’s withdrawal and “reconstruction.”
Hayye, who recalled that they initially demanded the release of 500 Palestinians for every Israeli soldier and 250 for every other prisoner, noted that with the intervention of the mediators, they accepted the release of 50 instead of 500 for every soldier and 30 instead of 250 for the other prisoners. He stated that the US and the mediator countries considered this situation as great flexibility, but they did not take any steps to achieve results. “In response to this flexibility, Israel launched ground attacks on the southern city of Rafah,” he said.
Hayye, who reminded that the draft Netanyahu presented on May 27 was adopted by US President Joe Biden and the United Nations Security Council, explained that they accepted this offer in the hope of an agreement, but despite this, Israel has embarked on new adventures. Hayye, who stated that Netanyahu put forward new conditions contrary to the old conditions set on May 27 before his visit to the US after July 2, stated that among the new conditions was that no prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment should be released.
Hayye emphasized that Netanyahu added a new condition to every article in his offer, and stated that the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors were among these new conditions. “I repeat here; there will be no agreement unless the Palestinian prisoners are released, the war stops and the occupying Israeli withdraws,” he said. Stating that the US should put pressure on Israel to comply with the offer it presented, Hayye said, “Last week, we asked the mediators what they had agreed on for two weeks. We received the answer that they could not reach any conclusion with the “Occupying party. Unfortunately, the negotiations revolve around Netanyahu’s conditions.”
Finally, Hayye added that they informed the mediator countries that they adhere to the proposal presented on July 2.
