Hamas: Israeli Captives Will Not Be Returned Through Military Pressure
Netanyahu and his government will make no progress in the prisoner file without a proper exchange deal. Escalation is a losing gamble at the expense of their captives
Palestine - The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has reaffirmed that the Israeli captives held in Gaza will not be returned through military escalation or pressure.
In a brief statement on Sunday evening, Hamas declared, "The Zionist escalation against civilians constitutes bloody, criminal messages aimed at exerting military pressure on the resistance, coinciding with the arrival of a Hamas delegation in Cairo and ongoing mediation efforts involving new proposals."
Hamas stressed that "Netanyahu and his government will make no progress in the prisoner file without a proper exchange deal. Escalation is a losing gamble at the expense of their captives."
The group reiterated that the return of Israeli prisoners will not happen through military escalation but through a decision that Netanyahu refuses to make.
Hamas Delegation Heads to Cairo for Talks
On Saturday evening, Hamas announced that a delegation led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya had traveled to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in response to an invitation from the Egyptian government.
The movement stated that the delegation would meet with mediators from Qatar and Egypt as part of continued efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement and halt Israel’s aggression against the Palestinian people.
Israel Violates Ceasefire Agreement Amid Renewed Genocide in Gaza
The first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Israel, which began on January 19, 2025, under Egyptian-Qatari mediation and U.S. support, concluded in early March.
While Hamas upheld its commitments during the first phase, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, refused to initiate the second phase in response to pressure from extremists within his ruling coalition.
On March 18, Israel resumed its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which originally began on October 7, 2023. The renewed offensive has resulted in over 166,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of whom are women and children, in addition to more than 14,000 missing persons. (PW)