A senior Hamas official said on Monday that the movement is open to discussions about a possible truce with Israel, after “we have achieved our goals,” according to Reuters.
When asked whether the movement was ready to discuss a possible ceasefire, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, Musa Abu Marzouk, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview, “We are certainly open to any matters of this kind. We are open to all political dialogues.”
Hamas threatened that it would begin executing an Israeli civilian kidnapped in exchange for any new Israeli bombing of civilian homes without prior warning, according to Reuters.
A spokesman for the movement’s military wing said on Monday, “They are acting in accordance with Islamic instructions by preserving the safety and well-being of Israeli prisoners,” and blamed the move “on the increasing Israeli bombing and killing of civilians inside their homes in air strikes without warning.”
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is classified by Washington as a “terrorist” organization, said that four of its kidnappers were killed as a result of the Israeli bombing of the Strip.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that Hamas kidnapped more than 100 people during its attack over the weekend.
Amnesty International had warned that “civilians on both sides are paying the price for the unprecedented escalation in hostilities between Israel and Gaza, with the death toll increasing.”
The organization called on “Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups to make every effort to protect the lives of civilians,” noting that “deliberately targeting civilians, carrying out disproportionate attacks, and indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians are war crimes.”
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2023-10-09 18:42:50
