Hamas 'willing to negotiate' on Gaza despite being 'bitten twice' by Israel 'snake'

A member of Hamas's political bureau said on Friday that the movement has not rejected the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff, and remains open to further negotiations.

Mohammed Nazzal, speaking to  The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, said it was Israel, not Hamas, that makes peace impossible, describing it as unreliable.

"The talk of us rejecting the proposal is inaccurate," Nazzal stated. "We accepted it as a framework for negotiation, with some fundamental observations. We demand that the United States act as an honest broker, not a biased one as in the past."

Nazzal explained that Hamas's reservations stem from the structure of the deal itself, which proposes the release of Israeli captives in the first week of a temporary ceasefire - a move he warned could allow Israel to resume its military campaign after securing what it wants.

"We want a real end to the war,” he said. "The proposal effectively suggests only a one-week ceasefire. The release of the [Israeli] captives - both alive and dead - during the first week gives Netanyahu a pretext to resume aggression after obtaining his goals."

"We do not want to be bitten twice by the same snake," he added. "Netanyahu is deceitful and evasive. Our experiences - and those of others - with him confirm that."

Nazzal recalled a previous ceasefire agreement reached in January, brokered under pressure from then-President-elect Donald Trump.

"Trump was the decisive factor at the time," he said. "He had promised to end wars in the region, including Gaza, and sent his envoy Steve Witkoff, who exerted real pressure on Netanyahu and forced him to sign."

But Nazzal claimed the Israeli prime minister "intended from the outset to sabotage the agreement" and did so in March, refusing to enter the second phase of the deal before resuming what he described as "a war of extermination".

Witkoff's current proposal, accepted by Israel and supported by the US, Egypt and Qatar, includes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli captives in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, 1,111 detainees from Gaza arrested after 7 October 2023, and the remains of 180 Palestinians held by Israel.

It also stipulates that humanitarian aid would begin flowing into Gaza once Hamas signs the ceasefire, with the final 30 captives released upon the implementation of a permanent truce.

Despite public criticism from Washington, which described Hamas’s response as "unacceptable", Nazzal insisted that negotiations are ongoing. "We have not closed the doors on any party that seeks to end this insane war of extermination," he said. "We are currently engaging with a new Qatari initiative aimed at bridging the gap in the latest proposal."

He affirmed that Hamas would continue "armed resistance" but also pursue political channels to halt what  Israel’s "aggression by killing and starvation".

"We have taken a position aligned with our people, who want the bloodshed to stop," he said. "And we will always strive for that."

Israel has deepened its military assault across Gaza, with repeated air and ground operations causing mass casualties. Civilians seeking aid have been among those targeted, deepening the humanitarian crisis and casting doubt on Israel's intentions in the ceasefire process.