Hamas’ chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, declared that the Palestinian group “is determined not to give Israel a pretext” to return to war in the Gaza Strip and assured that it will continue to search for and return the bodies of hostages still in the Strip.
“Hamas will not give the occupation any pretext to resume the war,” al-Hayya said in an interview with the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, part of which was broadcast today. In the interview, the Hamas official recalled that 20 Israeli hostages were handed over 72 hours after the ceasefire, as well as 17 of the 28 bodies of the other hostages. His statements coincide with the renewed pressure from the United States and other mediators in the ceasefire agreement for the Palestinian group to complete the return of the bodies in order to start negotiations for a second phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.