Al-Hayya: We did not reject Witkov's proposal, we submitted amendments, and we are ready to hand over the Gaza government.

Khalil al-Hayya, head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, said that the movement has not rejected the latest proposal presented by US mediator Steve Witkoff, stressing that they have made amendments to it to ensure a permanent ceasefire and prevent renewed Israeli aggression against the Strip.

Al-Hayya added, in a televised address Thursday evening, that Hamas is ready to immediately hand over the government in Gaza to any agreed-upon, professional, national Palestinian authority. He stressed that the time has come to end the division and unify national efforts to confront the occupation and its schemes.

Al-Hayya accused the Israeli government of rejecting all proposals presented since last March, including a partial exchange offer and a comprehensive deal to release all prisoners in exchange for ending the war. He attributed this rejection to the personal and ideological motives of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He explained that the latest proposal put forward by Witkov stipulated the release of 10 living prisoners and 18 bodies within a week, without guarantees of a permanent ceasefire. He noted that Netanyahu's repeated statements regarding resuming fighting after the prisoners' release reflect a lack of genuine intention to halt the aggression.

Al-Hayya pointed out that Hamas had agreed to another American proposal two weeks ago, but the occupation rejected it and the mediator backed down from his position. According to Al-Hayya, this reflects that the enemy is the one obstructing efforts to reach a permanent and effective agreement.

He pointed out that the occupation insists on maintaining complete control over humanitarian aid and imposing a mechanism he described as "military," which is rejected by all international institutions because it violates international humanitarian law and obstructs the safe and dignified delivery of relief.

Ready to negotiate

Al-Hayya said the movement is ready for a new round of negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that guarantees the occupation's withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, the lifting of the blockade, the flow of aid, and the implementation of a fair exchange deal that ends the suffering of prisoners.

He emphasized that the people of Gaza are waging the battle on behalf of the nation, amid shameful international silence, saying, "The world has let our people down, leaving them to face daily massacres, while countries are content with issuing statements of condemnation that neither stop the bloodshed nor deter the occupation."

Al-Hayya strongly criticized the United States' use of its veto power in the Security Council against a draft resolution calling for an end to the war in Gaza, saying that continued political and military support for the occupation is what encourages it to commit further massacres, as happened recently in Rafah.

He paid tribute to those participating in solidarity events around the world, the major marches in capitals, and those he described as "free men of the sea and land" who risk their lives to break the siege imposed on Gaza, emphasizing that such actions represent a ray of hope amid the darkness of international complicity.

Speaking on the ground, Al-Hayya said the resistance will continue to fulfill its duty to repel the aggression, and that the movement's leaders are no more precious than the people. He emphasized that Hamas bears full responsibility in all areas, from relief to media to politics.

Battle for existence

Al-Hayya sent messages of support to Palestinians in the West Bank and the occupied territories, calling for an escalation of popular resistance against settlements and Judaization projects, emphasizing that the battle is an existential one, not merely a political or border dispute.

He stressed that what is happening in Gaza today is the beginning of a broader ethnic cleansing scheme encompassing the West Bank and the territories occupied in 1948, extending to the refugee camps. This calls for a unified national and Arab stance to thwart this scheme.

At the end of his speech, Al-Hayya saluted the "brothers of truth" in Yemen who continue to launch rockets against the occupation despite the suffering they face, considering this evidence of the expansion of actual solidarity with Gaza and its resistance.

Al-Hayya congratulated the Islamic nation on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, emphasizing that Gaza had sacrificed itself for the nation and its holy sites. He called for political, popular, and military support commensurate with the sacrifices made by the people of the Gaza Strip.