ALBAWABA - Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the group's political bureau, said in an interview with Al Jazeera TV that would only accept a hostage swap deal with Israel if it agreed to a full cease-fire and the entry of relief aid into the Gaza Strip.
"The return of (Israeli) occupation prisoners has three prices. The first is the relief of our people and their return to a normal life. The second is ending the aggression, and the third is a real prisoner swap deal that frees our 10,000 prisoners in Israeli jails," Al Hayya told Al Jazeera.
He stated that Israel refuses to withdraw from Gaza and does not allow displaced Palestinians to return home. On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas' plan for a ceasefire and hostage swap "delusional".
"Netanyahu retreated last week what he had agreed to in the Paris paper," said al-Hayya.
According to a Palestinian source, Hamas submitted a three-stage proposal for a Gaza ceasefire on February 7, which included a 135-day respite in warfare in exchange for the release of captives. The initial framework deal was hammered out during a meeting in Paris last month of top officials from the United States, Israel, Qatar, and Egypt.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that 26 out of 27 countries had called for "an immediate humanitarian pause that would lead to a sustainable cease-fire" in Gaza.
At a news conference in Brussels, Borrell said the 26 member states reiterated their support for a prior statement urging Israel to desist from conducting military operations against Rafah, a "last refuge" city in southern Gaza.
Borrell did not identify the dissident EU countries, although Hungary recently vetoed a similar declaration. Approximately 1.5 million Palestinians who were previously displaced by Israel's aggression on Gaza have sought safety in Rafah.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 29,092 people, with more than 69,028 injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
