The Hamas movement issued its first official statement after talks with the US administration, declaring its readiness for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Monday. According to Hamas representatives, the talks, which were mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, are close to a successful conclusion.
The movement leader Khalil al-Hayya emphasised that the talks with the American side had taken place in a constructive atmosphere and that “significant progress” had been achieved. Hamas expressed its readiness to hand over control of the Gaza Strip to an independent and professional committee that would ensure the region’s reconstruction, the lifting of the blockade and long-term stability.
Hamas said it would release soldier Edan Alexander, who has dual Israeli and American citizenship and has been held captive by militants since October 2023, as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
Alexander, 21, was born in Tel Aviv but grew up in New Jersey. He was serving in an elite infantry unit on the Gaza border when he was captured by Hamas militants during a large-scale attack on October 7, 2023.
Of the 251 hostages captured during the Hamas attack, 59 remain in the enclave, of who up to 24 are believed to be alive.
Trump bypasses Netanyahu and enters into dialogue with Hamas
American media reports that US President Donald Trump personally met with Hamas representatives, effectively bypassing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he had previously removed from the negotiation process. In an interview with NBC, Trump said:
“There is no point for Israel to continue its operations in Gaza. This will not lead to a resolution of the conflict.”
Trump’s move is seen as direct legitimisation of Hamas in the eyes of the international community, which could change the balance of power in the Middle East.
This is the first time the US has entered into direct negotiations with Hamas without Israeli mediation. Abu Ubaida, a military spokesman for the movement, stressed that such recognition of their status by the US, albeit unofficial, is an important diplomatic victory and a hope for a new era in the struggle for the freedom of the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, 15 people, including children, were killed in an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) bombing of a girls’ school in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalia, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday.
The statement noted that at least 40 Palestinians have been killed and more than 80 injured in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours.
The European public is not indifferent to the victims in Gaza. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), wrote on X:
“Netanyahu and his henchmen are brutally and sadistically killing all Palestinians in Gaza. Those who are directly involved in this have active accomplices in those who allow it to happen, look the other way or persecute those who condemn and fight against this genocide. Let us remember forever what they are capable of.”
