GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center)Hamas has accused the Israeli government of undermining international mediation efforts to end what it describes as a war of extermination in Gaza, by escalating military pressure on innocent civilians through widespread bombardment and increasing collective suffering—a desperate attempt, the group says, to impose conditions through force.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Hamas stressed that the Israeli government’s insistence on negotiating without halting its aggression, along with its dismissive signals toward mediators, reveals the criminal mindset of the occupation, which views truces merely as tools to buy time and resume war.
“The world is looking for an end to this war,” the statement read. “The goal of the negotiation process is clear and unwavering: a complete cessation of aggression, a full end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, and the release of all prisoners.”
Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately prolonging the war: “Netanyahu wants an endless war. He does not care about the fate of his captives—he is the last person concerned with their lives or return. His obsession with destruction and death poses a danger not only to the Palestinian people but to the entire region and the world.”
On Monday, as a gesture of goodwill, Hamas released Israeli-American captive Edan Alexander, following communications with the US administration as part of mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire, reopen border crossings, and allow humanitarian aid and relief into Gaza.
Hamas reiterated its readiness to enter negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement, including Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, ending the blockade, a prisoner exchange, and launching reconstruction efforts.
Since 2 March 2025, Israel has closed all Gaza border crossings to humanitarian, medical, and relief aid, leading to what multiple international, governmental, and human rights reports describe as a catastrophic deterioration in the humanitarian situation.
The first phase of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement—reached between Hamas and Israel and implemented on 19 January 2025—collapsed after Israel refused to begin the second phase. On 18 March, Israel resumed what Hamas and many observers describe as a campaign of genocide.
With unwavering support from the United States, Israel has, since 7 October 2023, carried out a war on Gaza that has left over 172,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them children and women, with more than 11,000 people still missing, according to health officials and human rights groups.
