Hamas reaffirms Gaza ceasefire, demands Palestinians’ right to independent state

Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas leader in Gaza, said in an interview aired on Sunday that the Palestinian side has the "great and sufficient will on our part for the war not to return, and we will not give the occupation any pretext to resume the war."

“The international community, both popular and official, will also not allow the occupation to return to war,” he added.

Hamas’s serious commitment to the agreements, noting the rapid handover of captives.

“We handed over 20 captives from the occupation's soldiers, whether active duty or reserve, 72 hours after the ceasefire began, and we abided by that.”

The resistance leader said they’ve so far delivered bodies of 17 dead captives to the Israeli regime and are determined to find the 13 remaining bodies.

“There is seriousness and a decision from us and the resistance that we will not leave any of these bodies,” he said. “We will search with all seriousness and responsibility, and the occupation must not use this flimsy pretext to continue harming our Palestinian people.”

‘Israel failed in Gaza’

In his remarks, Al-Hayya highlighted the immense sacrifices of the Palestinian people and the "catastrophic failure" of the Israeli occupation to achieve its military objectives over the past two years.

Al-Hayya pointed to the cost of the aggression, noting the staggering demographic toll.

"Gaza has given more than 10% of its population as martyrs, wounded, prisoners, and missing. This is a very difficult statistic."

Despite this sacrifice, the official stressed that the occupation’s military campaign has achieved nothing, forcing a shift in global perspective.

“The occupation failed to achieve its goals, and I do not believe the occupation has the motivation to return to war. It has not achieved any of its goals over the past two years, thanks to the steadfastness of our people and despite the immense sacrifices.”

He argued that the reality on the ground and the international popular stance have swayed America.

“The US administration and President Trump became convinced that the war must end. The US administration gave [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu all the time and opportunities to achieve what he wanted, and he could not.”

Palestinian commitment to statehood

Al-Hayya stressed that the Palestinian goal is stability achieved through justice, as shown in meetings between Palestinian factions, including the Fatah movement.

“We discussed in the meeting that we, as Palestinians, are advocates for stability and are seeking our stolen rights, and that we want to live like other people of the world in a Palestinian entity, in a Palestinian state. We have no problem except with the one who occupied our land and expelled us from it.”

Al-Hayya made clear that the resistance’s existence is directly tied to the occupation, and that they won’t hand over their weapons unless the occupation is ended.

“Our weapon, which we and all factions carry, is linked to the existence of the occupation and aggression. If this occupation ends and a Palestinian state is established for us, then this weapon and its bearers will be transferred to the state.”

The official emphasized that the Palestinian vision for statehood is rooted in international legitimacy.

“We said that we want a Palestinian state in accordance with international law and resolutions that the world has legitimized, so that the region can stabilize. We are not fans of wars and bloodshed; the ones who pay the price for this blood are us and our children.”

‘Hamas to hand over Gaza administration’

Al-Hayya said they have agreed to fully relinquish administrative control of the Gaza Strip to a newly formed non-partisan body.

“We are ready to hand over the reins of administration completely, and we have agreed on that.”

He confirmed that Hamas approved a list of names for the committee and agreed to the deployment of UN forces to monitor the ceasefire and separation, welcoming Arab and Islamic bodies to be part of those forces.

“The administrative committee's term should end either with Palestinian elections or the formation of an approved Palestinian government,” he said.

He affirmed the unity of the Palestinian cause, stating: "We affirm that Gaza and the West Bank are one national unit, and we do not accept the separation of Gaza from the West Bank."

Al-Hayya concluded by calling on mediators to urgently facilitate humanitarian needs.

“What we want now is to provide relief and shelter for our people, the continuation of the ceasefire, and the start of reconstruction.”