"Thousands of Israeli officers and soldiers killed."
Hamas is studying a new proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip recently handed over by Egypt, the movement's representative in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi, told Izvestia. Also, he said, Qatar has resumed mediation efforts to reach a deal on Gaza. At the same time, the Hamas political bureau has no data on the condition of Russian hostages held in Gaza, Abdel Hadi said. He also noted that the group is ready to show flexibility in the issue of releasing people and spoke about the difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza, where about 100 people are killed daily as a result of Israeli strikes. On IDF losses, US responsibility for what is happening in the Strip and inter-Palestinian dialog - in Ahmed Abdel Hadi's exclusive interview with Izvestia.
"We are in touch with Russia."
- Do you have any information about the condition of the Russian hostages? Are you discussing with Russia the issue of their release?
- The Hamas Politburo has no information about hostages held by military formations in Gaza, including the al-Qassam Brigades. However, we are in touch with Russia through contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the State of Qatar. We have regular meetings, we meet almost daily, especially if the negotiations intensify.
Coordination between us will be at a very high level, for example in the case of UN Security Council meetings.
- According to statements by Hamas politburo member Musa Abu Marzouk, the two Russians left hostage were Israeli military personnel.
- Yes, they are Israeli soldiers, so they will be included in the hostage release deal. The Palestinian movement and the resistance are seeking an end to the aggression and the release of the hostages as part of a single deal. Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian hostages.
But this is a deal not only on the exchange of hostages, but also on ending the aggression, withdrawing the occupation (Israeli - Izvestia) army from the Gaza Strip, returning refugees, humanitarian aid and rebuilding infrastructure. We are capitalizing on the presence of a large number of Israeli soldiers at the resistance to make a comprehensive deal.
"A personcannot continue to live there."
- How is the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip right now? It is known that hospitals were previously experiencing a severe shortage of medicines and the population was suffering from terrible hunger.
- The truth is that no matter how much we say or describe the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, we cannot express the horror that its inhabitants have endured. We have reached a level where a person cannot continue to live there, because since the beginning of the aggression, there has been a blockade of the Gaza Strip, and since the occupation of Rafah, Israel has long prevented aid from reaching not only northern Gaza, but also the south and the central regions.
Israel believes that it is pressuring the resistance to renege on our terms in the ongoing negotiations. It is also pressuring the population to support or submit to Israeli plans to evict people from Gaza. That has not happened. So far, no humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip because Israel closed the Karem Abu Salem crossing and other crossings through which it was coming after the invasion of Rafah.
It has obstructed the efforts of the international community to get food into Gaza. And if any aid arrives in Gaza, Israel orders its agents, its gangs, to attack those convoys. Nothing is being brought into Gaza now - neither food nor medical supplies.
Those hospitals that have not been completely destroyed have stopped part or all of their work. There are no more medical facilities left in Gaza.
As for the massacres committed by the enemy (Israel - Izvestia), they are taking place every day. Forbidden weapons are being used. The newest thing we have begun to shed light on is weapons that cause bodies to vaporize. There is evidence of bodies starting to vaporize after Israeli airstrikes, bombs. We don't know what kind of weaponry this is. There are now about 100 people killed every day by Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Israel never complies with U.N. resolutions or related organizations because it is protected by the U.S. administration. The US administration remains a partner in this genocide and racist cleansing of the Gaza Strip. It leads the war and supports Israel with weapons and rockets that burn and kill people, destroy homes and tents.
The Israeli enemy claims to be allowing aid to arrive. But even if some aid convoys arrive, Israel strikes at them, shelling even the brigades of international organizations that organize these supplies.
Palestinians are killed every day in full view of the world. There is condemnation, but can anyone bring a bottle of water, some food or some medicine? No. Not only are they bombing homes, but also tents that they know only displaced people are in. The death toll so far has reached over 45,000. Also over 110,000 wounded. That doesn't take into account the missing people.
- According to the Israeli Defense Ministry, 808 people have been killed since the fighting began - since October 2023. Do these numbers match Hamas' estimates, or do you think Israel is underreporting casualties?
- No, of course it's not true. Israel, as you know, has a policy of strict media censorship on facts related to the war, whether it's the number of people killed, wounded, or even the level of financial losses within businesses. The number of people killed is much higher. Thousands of Israeli officers and soldiers have been killed.
But they don't announce it. However, the problem is different. Netanyahu has been able to convince the population inside that this is an existential war, and therefore, no matter how many deaths there are, the end justifies the means. The man was able to deceive them. This happened with the hostage deal as well.
We had a prisoner exchange deal in the past, the Shalit deal. We had an Israeli military man Shalit being held, and we exchanged him for about 1,100 hostages, and that's just one Israeli.
We had about 250 hostages today at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood. It didn't affect the internal situation in Israel. Why? Because Netanyahu has convinced his population that they are fighting a second battle for independence. But in fact, thousands of Israeli soldiers and officers have died in the battle for Gaza. Their numbers are growing because of the Palestinian resistance led by the Al-Qassam Brigades. They are still pounding the Israeli army inside the Gaza Strip, killing dozens and hundreds of soldiers, and these operations are captured on video and televised.
The enemy sometimes admits to the loss of a small number of lives. When he admits it, that figure can be multiplied by ten. Then you can get the correct figure.
"Hamas is interested in reaching an agreement."
- Earlier, Qatar said it was suspending its mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire between the sides. Is Hamas in contact with Doha about resuming the negotiation process?
- Qatar was forced to suspend its efforts and its role in mediation, and it announced that the reason for this is that it does not see any intention or will on the part of Netanyahu and his government to reach an agreement that will end the aggression. He accompanied all stages of the negotiations as the chief mediator.
Hamas, when given a draft agreement, approved it. This deal was rejected by Netanyahu.
At that time, he invaded Rafah. Then the Security Council passed a resolution, Russia put a lot of effort in harmonizing the position, we agreed to the Security Council resolution, but it was rejected by Netanyahu. In the final stage, it seemed that he and his extremist government opposed all versions of the agreement, even those with which they were in agreement.
Netanyahu shows that he supposedly wants an agreement. But what he really wants is to continue the war because he knows that the moment the war ends, his government coalition will collapse and thus his political future will be over. Even his own future will be jeopardized because he will be imprisoned because of the problems he is involved in. So it has always been driven by personal agendas in derailing all negotiations.
- But is Hamas interested in an agreement?
- There has been more talk recently that there is now a positive atmosphere internationally and locally, especially after Trump's victory and the end of the war in Lebanon and the ceasefire agreement. Hamas is interested in reaching an agreement and has always been flexible. We are responsible for our people and are committed to stopping these massacres. The negotiating positions and conditions put forward by the movement are logical. How can we agree to stop the war for a while and then Netanyahu will go back to it? What would be the benefit to us in that? What benefit to us if the occupier does not leave the Gaza Strip, if the displaced do not return to their homes? Therefore, the conditions we have set are fair.
In the light of this positive atmosphere, Qatar has resumed mediation, and we are grateful for its efforts. Indeed, activity has begun in this area, especially with Egyptian and Qatari mediation. This is happening with their active communication with us. The Americans are also involved in this, they are communicating with Israel. I believe there are other countries that have joined this effort, both regionally and internationally, to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is willing to be flexible, but not at the expense of the basic requirements that determine the acceptance of any agreement. Flexibility may concern the timing chosen, the division of the agreement, the issue of hostages, their number or specific individuals. All of these are acceptable for dialog and discussion. But we will not allow Israel to resume its aggression or continue its occupation of Gaza after a deal has been reached. That is unacceptable to us.
So we will see what we are offered as a result of the contacts that are taking place now. We will evaluate those proposals according to our position and conditions. Then we will give a response based on consultations within the movement on the one hand and with Palestinian factions on the other.
Recently, a delegation of the movement's leadership heard ideas from the brothers in Egypt with a new proposal in this regard. Of course, as usual, the movement is studying this, after which it will give its response to this proposal.
- U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said earlier that Qatar had asked the Hamas leadership to close its office in Doha and leave the country, were there really such contacts with the Qatari leadership?
- This is not true, although American pressure on Qatar does in fact exist, but the brothers in Qatar have not informed us that any of the leadership has left Doha. On the contrary, the leadership of the movement is still there. Qatar is very generous in this regard. We are grateful for this hospitality. We also thank them for their great efforts in mediation.
In fact, the negotiations are always accompanied by media leaks and rumors aimed at pressuring the leadership of the movement. This is also aimed at the Qatari leadership to put pressure on Hamas. But we were not informed until the current moment that the presence of any of the movement's leaders in Qatar was unwelcome.
"We have sent the message that it will be up to the Palestinians to decide."
- How does Hamas feel about the Hezbollah-Israel truce? The Lebanese movement has previously said it will not stop attacks against the Jewish state until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
- We appreciate the efforts of the Islamic resistance, Hezbollah in supporting the Gaza Strip, they have made great sacrifices for this. The movement has lost Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, many leaders, including Mr. Safi al-Din, as well as military leaders. On top of that, there is terrible destruction and crime in Lebanon.
The resistance has done much for Palestine and the Gaza Strip. But we all know about the brutality of the Israeli army in Lebanon and the massacres it has committed. There are also subtle internal calculations that we understand - all of which put pressure on the situation and forced the resistance to accept a halt to the war as part of the agreement.
But it actually prevented the main objectives from being achieved. Because Netanyahu talked about changing the Middle East, starting with Lebanon, after the complete elimination of Hezbollah. That didn't happen. Because the war stopped and Hezbollah struck Israeli territory with its long-range rockets, reaching Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities. In addition, the movement prevented Israel from advancing to southern Lebanese villages during two months of fighting. The situation looked as if there was no need to continue fighting, the Zionist enemy (Israel. - "Izvestia") could not achieve more.
In view of the considerations I mentioned, Hezbollah agreed to divide the resistance fronts, but the Secretary General (Naim Qassem. - Izvestia) confirmed in an interview that support for Palestine and the Gaza Strip will be provided in various forms and by various means.
Thus, we appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of the Islamic resistance for the sake of Gaza. Even they could not stop the aggressor, but we understand the considerations that underpinned the decision for a ceasefire.
- Recently, the Hamas and Fatah movements met in Cairo. Are the Palestinian factions planning to form a joint committee to govern Gaza in the post-war period?
- We had many meetings with our brothers in the Fatah movement. We also met in China, we announced an agreement called the China Declaration, and it is a comprehensive agreement. But for many reasons it was not implemented, so we said, if we don't get at least a comprehensive agreement or if we don't achieve the formation of a government of national reconciliation, a government of technocrats, at least we will form a committee, we call it the social support committee.
The committee will oversee all civil affairs relating to economic, educational and other issues. It will also supervise relief during the war. In the post-war period, it will deal with the administration of Gaza, including the operation of checkpoints, as well as the reconstruction of infrastructure.
We have made a lot of progress. The document was presented to our Fatah brothers in the meeting that preceded the last talks in Cairo. They asked for permission to study it. After that, a new date was set. The meeting took place a few days ago in Cairo. Indeed, thanks to Egyptian efforts, this committee, which will be civilian in nature, was approved.
It is composed of 10 to 15 civilians, technocrats. They are not part of political parties and factions. The committee reports to the Palestinian government in Ramallah. It was formed by decree of President Mahmoud Abbas and is governed by Palestinian laws.
It will also be governed by a support committee made up of national factions that will assist it so that it can fulfill its tasks.
This body is in charge of supporting ties with regional and international parties. Because Hamas may not be suitable for this task. The committee is non-partisan and non-political, belonging to all Palestinians. We have agreed to hold a meeting of the factions soon to review the composition and details regarding this committee. It will then be finalized by decree of Mahmoud Abbas, after which its formation and work will begin.
We believe that this committee is necessary because we really want to close the door to all the suspicious plans that talk about a post-war situation for the Palestinians. We have sent the message that this will be decided by the Palestinians, not by anyone outside the Palestinian framework.
- Does Hamas have any idea what will happen to the military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, after the war is over?
- This question has not been discussed. Israel, together with the US, is focused on eliminating Hamas's capabilities. Our forces are resistance forces for national liberation. Therefore, inter-Palestinian conversations have no connection to the militias.
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