Hamdan to captives' families: Netanyahu obstructing exchange deal

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
20 Dec 2023 22:35
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Hamas top official Osama Hamdan reveals that the Israeli occupation is conducting field executions, detaining Palestinian civilians for torture, and extracting forced confessions.

A screen grab for Hamas top official Osama Hamdan speaking at a press briefing on December 20.

Top Hamas official Osama Hamdan said they have reached a critical juncture with no possibility of reverting to the past, adding that their sole course of action is to attain victory and establish the Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.

During a press conference on Wednesday evening, Hamdan asserted that the Israeli occupation is conducting field executions, detaining Palestinian civilians for torture, and extracting forced confessions.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he emphasized that "there will be no negotiation regarding any prisoner exchange deal unless there is a complete halt to aggression against the Gaza Strip."

He conveyed a message to the families of Israeli captives, stating that their dilemma is rooted in Netanyahu's obstruction of the captives' release.

Hamdan affirmed that the Biden administration is complicit with the Israeli occupation in its aggression against Gaza, preventing its cessation, and delaying the convening of the UN Security Council and the approval of the resolution presented for the entry of aid into the besieged Strip.

He added, "We say to the Biden administration, you are partners in the crime in Gaza, and these bloodstains will be a curse that haunts you forever."

Hamdan criticized the US' position in establishing a maritime alliance, calling on the participating nations in this alliance to recognize that the core issue lies in the Israeli occupation.

He also praised the courageous stance of the Yemeni Armed Forces in preventing the passage of ships to the Israeli entity through the Red Sea, as well as Malaysia's stance in ceasing dealings with Israeli ships and shipping companies.

The genocidal war on Gaza is ongoing

It is worth noting that the Government Media Office in Gaza reported earlier that the number of Palestinian martyrs has risen to 20,000 since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Strip on October 7.

🚨Urgent: Occupation forces are still besieging the PRCS ambulance center 🚑 in #Jabalia, northern #Gaza. ⚠️Artillery shelling continues in the vicinity of the center, with the sounds of explosions heard. Israeli snipers are positioned on the roofs of surrounding buildings,…
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) December 20, 2023

In a related development, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that Israeli forces are blockading its ambulance center in Jabalia in northern Gaza.

Through a social media update, the PRCS pointed to the presence of Israeli snipers on nearby rooftops, posing a potential danger to the well-being of 127 people, including paramedics, volunteers, and their families.

In a previous post, the PRCS stated that it had received multiple calls regarding shelling in Jabalia, and its teams faced challenges reaching those besieged in the area.