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“Hamas has warned Israel that another war is inevitable unless its occupation of Palestine ends and the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza is resolved,” Hamad said, Wednesday (20/10/2021).
Read: Hamas Leader Talks to Taliban Foreign Minister, Calls for Liberation of Jerusalem
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, in the first interview since mediation talks in Egypt ended, the senior Hamas official said the fight would continue “at all costs”, until an independent Palestinian state was established.
“We can beat Israel, we can target Israel, we have targeted Israel many times,” Hamad stressed. “Israel has stolen my land. We are the victims. You have to understand, we are the victims of the occupation. We don’t trust Israel. We don’t believe Israel is interested in peace,” he continued.
Hamad refuses to recognize the state of Israel and does not rule out other conflicts. “Everything is open. Hamas is trying to avoid war, we are trying to protect our people, we are trying to give people a good life here, but the occupation is all the time in front of my eyes,” he said.
Read: Hamas denies accusations of having investments and assets in Sudan
In recent days, Hamas’ senior leadership has been in neighboring Egypt to negotiate a longer truce with Israel. Talks stalled over the details of the prisoner swap. Hamas demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinians, in exchange for the two Israelis who were still alive and the bodies of the two soldiers who died.
Notably, Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip have fought four wars since 2006. The two sides regrouped after the last 11 days of conflict in May, which killed at least 243 people in Gaza and 12 in Israel.
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