ANKARA, May 22 — The Palestinian Hamas group has said the recent statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on continuing his genocidal war on Gaza confirm his intention of undermining the ceasefire talks and the chances of prisoner release, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu reaffirmed his government’s intention to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip and dismissed any agreement to end the war.
Hamas said that Netanyahu's remarks "confirm once again to the entire world that we are facing a criminal obsessed with murder and genocide, pushing the entire region towards the abyss to serve his political interests."
"Netanyahu's discussion of the (United States President Donald) Trump plan for displacement (of Palestinians from Gaza) as one of the goals of his brutal war places the responsibility on Washington to clarify its position on the crime of forced displacement under the threat of genocide, at a time when it is playing the role of mediator to end the war," it said in a statement.
Hamas added that the international community "must take action to impose measures that ensure" ending the Israeli brutal war on Gaza, and to hold Netanyahu accountable "as he continues to confirm his intention of committing brutal genocide, starvation, and forced displacement, in defiance of all international laws and conventions."
Since February, Trump has repeatedly called to “take over” Gaza and resettle its population to develop it into a tourist destination. The Arab world rejected his plan, and many other nations, who say it amounts to ethnic cleansing.
Netanyahu’s statements came as the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing over 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
— Bernama
