Member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, said on Friday that Israel rejected several offers to extend the humanitarian truce.
“We released all Israeli women and children, but the occupation is trying to add female soldiers to this category,” al-Hayya said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
“We offered to release the elderly held in our custody in exchange for the release of the elderly prisoners in the occupation prisons, but the occupation refused that,” al-Hayya continued.
The Hamas official also pointed out that the occupation refused to receive the bodies of several detainees who were killed by Israeli airstrikes, including the Bibas family, in exchange for the extension of the truce.
The message from Israeli prisoner Yarden Bibas, whose wife Shiri and children Kfir and Ariel were killed by an Israeli airstrike, to the Israeli government.
The Palestinian #Resistance has offered to hand over their bodies, but the Israeli government refused to receive them. pic.twitter.com/9qKV1RTfjv
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 30, 2023
Israel’s “rejection of all offers is a clear indication that the occupation was determined to resume its crimes in Gaza,” al-Hayya noted, adding:
“We told the mediators that we are ready to negotiate the release of our civilian detainees to reach a complete ceasefire.”
“We agreed to release all civilians, women and children, for humanitarian reasons. It is not possible to negotiate the release of Israeli prisoners if the military operations continue,” al-Hayya stated.
Dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured in airstrikes launched by the Israeli army on various areas in the Gaza Strip, moments after the end of the humanitarian truce, Al-Jazeera reported.
A four-day truce began on Friday, November 24, was extended twice, and ended on Friday, December 1, at 7 am local time today.
(PC, QNN)
