Hamas rejects prisoner swap without full ceasefire; accuses Netanyahu of stalling Gaza peace deal amid U.S.-backed truce. Photos: X.
Donald Trump’s Gaza Peace Deal has taken another twist. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said the group will not agree to any “prisoner exchange” unless a comprehensive agreement is reached to end the Israel-Hamas war. He made these remarks during an interview with Qatari-owned Al Araby TV on Thursday.
He was referring to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel on terror-related charges.
Hamdan stated that the agreement reached during negotiations in Egypt constitutes “a final ceasefire.” He urged the international community to “monitor Israel’s behavior towards implementing the agreement.”
He claimed that mediators provided “clear guarantees” ensuring Israel would not violate the deal, and described the United States as the “primary backer” of the ceasefire.
Hamdan further asserted that 250 Cprisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 prisoners from the Gaza Strip would be released under the agreement. “This includes all our senior prisoners named on the list,” he said.
Another senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Mardawi, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of attempting to sabotage the ceasefire. According to the group, Israel is deliberately delaying the implementation of the agreement.
Earlier on Thursday, Hamas issued a statement through its official news agency, SAFA. In it, the group praised militants in the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem, and the West Bank for “displaying unparalleled pride, heroism, and honor in confronting the fascist occupation’s schemes.”
The statement added that Hamas would “remain faithful to its pledge, and will not relinquish national rights, including freedom, independence, and self-determination.”
The Palestinian Joint Operations Room – a coalition of Gaza-based terror factions including Hamas’s Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -also released a statement addressing the ceasefire deal.
The group said it had consistently called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire since the conflict began two years ago. Their demands included “lifting of the blockade, allowing the entry of aid, reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange.”
In their message to the “heroic people of the Gaza Strip,” the joint operations room praised their resilience, “With your unity, solidarity, faith, and confidence in your resistance, you are creating glory that will be immortalized in history.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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