The head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said on April 20 that US weapons have been used in Gaza by the Israeli occupation to kill tens of thousands of people, emphasizing that the US veto against the establishment of a Palestinian state at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) affords full protection to the massacres and murders by the Israeli occupation against Gaza. 

In an exclusive interview for Anadolu, Haniyeh said, "The US position is deceptive, even though it says it does not want civilians to be harmed, this is an attempt at manipulation. All the civilians killed in Gaza, thousands, tens of thousands of martyrs, were killed with US weapons, with US rockets, under US political protection. What does the US veto of the cease-fire resolution at the UNSC mean? It means that the US is giving full protection and umbrella to the continuation of the massacres and murders against Gaza."

It is evident that the US has embraced the Israeli position and stood against the rights of the Palestinian people by vetoing Palestine's full UN membership, Haniyeh added. 

On Rafah

Haniyeh warned against a potential invasion by the Israeli occupation forces in Rafah stressing that it could lead to further massacres against Palestinians. 

"I call on all brotherly countries, our brothers in Egypt, our brothers in Turkey, our brothers in Qatar as mediators, and the European countries to take action to restrain (Israeli) aggression and prevent the operation in Rafah, [and to ensure] the complete withdrawal (of the Israeli army) from the Gaza Strip and the end of the attacks on Gaza," he emphasized.

To highlight the strength and resistance of the Palestinian people if a Rafah invasion were to happen, Haniyeh said "If the Zionist enemy enters Rafah, the Palestinian people will not raise the white flag. The Resistance fighters in Rafah are ready to defend themselves and resist attacks."

On negotiations 

Haniyeh highlighted how "Israel" has not agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, even though there have been dozens of proposals submitted through mediators, "All it wants is to take back the prisoners and then restart the war in Gaza, and this is not possible. The Israeli army must completely withdraw from Gaza. Israel also does not want the displaced people to return to northern Gaza. It accepts a limited and gradual return. It is unacceptable."

Even though it has 14,000 Palestinian detainees from the West Bank and Gaza since October 7, "Israel" has only suggested exchanging a small number of them. 

When the Israeli war on Gaza comes to an end, Gaza will be governed by Palestinians, including Hamas which is part of the people, as Haniyeh emphasized, "Hamas is not insisting on being the sole authority in the administration of Gaza, but we are part of the Palestinian people and can establish a national unity government on a partnership basis and agree on the administration of Gaza. These are national issues. We will not allow the situation of Palestine in Gaza, the West Bank, or both to be regulated by occupiers or anyone else."

Haniyeh added that despite alternatives being suggested, they are not fit for Gaza. 

"We made a two-stage call for the regulation of Palestinian domestic politics. The first stage consists of the reorganization of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to include all Palestinian groups. The second stage involves the establishment of a national government that will undertake the reconstruction of Gaza and unify the institutions in the West Bank and Gaza under one roof, and ensure the holding of presidential, legislative, and national council elections."

Haniyeh further highlighted that Gaza is a national part of Palestine, mentioning that Hamas expects the national consensus government including Gaza and the West Bank to govern after the war.

On Turkey 

Haniyeh said that he had an important meeting that lasted about two hours with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, highlighting that the visit to Turkey is due to the historical relations it has with Palestine. 

He added that all parties in the meeting made a clear statement regarding the Israeli war against Gaza and the struggle of Palestinians for almost seven months. 

Haniyeh also said that Hamas delivered its message to Erdogan regarding the genocide against Palestinians, ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and the demands of Hamas and other resistance groups for "a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced persons to their homes, reconstruction, lifting of the blockade and reaching a prisoner exchange agreement."

"President Erdogan's statement during the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) group meeting, where he described Hamas as the national liberation movement and likened it to the Kuva-i Milliye (National Forces), is undoubtedly a source of pride for us and the Palestinian people,” he said praising Erdogan's support for the Palestinian cause. 

"Hamas is what Kuva-i Milliye (National Forces active during the Turkish War of Independence between 1918 - 1921) was in Turkey during the National Struggle. We definitely know that saying this will come with a price," Erdogan said in the meeting. 

Haniyeh also said, "Hamas is a movement that resists to liberate our lands, sacred values, and people from historical occupation."

He shed light on Turkey's historical ties to the Palestinian cause due to its Islamic and regional position labeling Erdogan's comments as a reflection of the conscience of the Turkish people who treat the Palestinian cause as their own, support Gaza from a humanitarian end, and stand against oppression. 

He also stressed the need to unite efforts to halt the attacks of the Israeli occupation backed by US support.

Praising the Turkish people's intellectual, historical, and political stance on the Palestinian cause, Haniyeh added "We still remember President Erdogan lifting the map of Palestine during his speech at the UN and explaining how Palestine was gradually occupied in response to Shimon Peres, "adding "We closely monitor Türkiye's position in the region, its regional and international policies, and its stance on the Palestinian cause and Gaza with great importance."

"We still remember how the Turkish people sacrificed martyrs on the Mavi Marmara for the lifting of the blockade in Gaza," Haniyeh emphasized, adding that Turkey has a consistent stance on the Palestinian cause and the Gaza blockade.

"During our meeting with Erdogan, we discussed the decisions taken regarding commercial restrictions on Israel and their effects on commercial activity," Haniyeh said.

"This is an important step against the Zionist enemies who shed the blood of women, children, and elderly Palestinians in attacks on Gaza, threaten Rafah with land attacks, and disrespect Muslim holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque in al-Quds," he added.

During the meeting, Haniyeh said that Hamas knows about Turkey's political and diplomatic efforts at regional and international levels to halt the Israeli war on Gaza, aid sent to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, and its decisions regarding trade with the Israeli occupation.

The enemy 

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Haniyeh highlighted how "Israel" is disrupting the negotiations, as he said by sticking to a stance and refusing to compromise leading to the failure and interruption of the talks while on the other hand, Hamas has shown flexibility. 

As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near in "Israel", the leaders discussed the potential dangers threatening al-Aqsa Mosque and evaluated the developments in the West Bank, al-Quds, and Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

"Israel", who heavily bombed Gaza before a ground invasion, has a strategy, according to Haniyeh,that is built on killing, imposing military and humanitarian blockades, and destroying hospitals, schools, infrastructure, bakeries, pharmacies, and factories.

"For over five months, nothing entered Gaza. Hunger was used as a weapon to break the people's will and to pressure them to migrate from north to south. It is a very difficult situation in terms of both the number of martyrs and wounded, as well as those trapped under the rubble. There are thousands of martyrs buried under the rubble. Every day we discover new mass graves," he stressed.

He further said, "Tortures, executions, crimes committed in prisons ... Israel does not even allow the UN and The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to operate -- they want to shut down UNRWA."

At least 500 trucks should enter Gaza daily for the reconstruction of hospitals, bakeries, infrastructure, and shelters as one of the conditions for reaching an agreement, according to Haniyeh noting that he discussed these issues during the meeting with Erdogan.

On Resistance 

"The ability of the Palestinian Resistance to cope with the field conditions and security developments is high. This Resistance has proven to be the strong and unyielding will of our people," Haniyeh stressed.

He further said, "The enemy will not be able to break this weapon, this flag, this will, the spirit of resistance, and this determination," emphasizing that the same applies in the West Bank and the fronts in Resistance fronts in Lebanon.

"The Zionist enemy wanted to focus on the Gaza Strip in the war. However, due to the integration between the Resistance forces in Lebanon, which became part of this struggle, and Resistance groups in Palestine, it failed to achieve this. Indeed, there is almost a similar war in southern Lebanon between the occupying state of Israel and the Islamic Resistance (Hezbollah) in Lebanon and Palestinian Resistance groups," he stressed.

Addressing the Yemeni operations on Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red Sea, Haniyeh said that they have clear effects on the Israeli economy and that of companies and ships in business with it. 

As for the situation in the region, Haniyeh highlighted how it is all linked to the Israeli genocide against Gaza as he said that before the Iranian retaliatory attack on "Israel", it all started from Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria before reaching Iran. 

He further said that calm in the region would only take place once the Israeli war against Gaza ends, and held the Israeli occupation accountable for all developments following its attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. 

"Everyone expected that Iran would not remain silent in the face of this attack, which directly affects its sovereignty. This situation may indicate that the occupying Israel may have understood or misunderstood Iran's previously mentioned policy of 'strategic patience,'" he said.

"Everyone was expecting a response from Iran. However, it is up to Iran to decide what the response will be as well as its volume, dimension, and scope,"  Haniyeh added. 

On Netanyahu and Al-Aqsa 

In further addressing the recent developments between Iran and the Israeli occupation, Haniyed discussed the indications and how they reflect Netanyahu's intent of not ending the war by saying "All of this indicates two things. Netanyahu does not want to end the war in Gaza. On the contrary, he wants to expand its framework for a regional war. Similarly, they want the Americans to be part of the military front against Iran, and a part of the military wing that serves Israel."

"The Zionist enemy is responsible for this tension and regional escalation, denying the rights of our people, continuing to attack our people, our sanctities, especially Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and continuing the genocidal war in Gaza," he stressed.

As for Zionist and radical Jews' goals for Al-Aqsa, he said "We witnessed the burning of Al-Aqsa in 1969. Then came the attacks, massacres, raids, efforts to change the status of Al-Aqsa, followed by efforts to divide Al-Aqsa temporally and spatially, and plans to sacrifice at Al-Aqsa."

Netanyahu's occupation government has set as its main goal changing the historical, cultural, and intellectual Islamic landmarks in al-Quds and al-Aqsa, Haniyeh said adding "In recent days, we hear calls from Israeli ministers and religious authorities to sacrifice at Al-Aqsa during the Jewish holiday. They have set rewards for those who will sacrifice at Al-Aqsa. This is disrespect to the sanctity of Al-Aqsa."

He urged all Palestinians and the Islamic nation to protect Al-Aqsa which is the first qibla of Muslims.

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood 

Addressing Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which was carried out by the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, aimed at the Israeli crimes towards Al-Aqsa and Palestinians, Haniyeh said "The operation was launched for Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, and especially for the sanctities of the ummah."

"The ummah should not allow these efforts to go in vain. These are the inheritances left to Muslims from their prophets. Jews have no right whatsoever over Al-Aqsa," he stressed.

‘Israel should not go unpunished’

Regarding South Africa's filing a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Haniyeh said, "I salute South Africa, which filed a lawsuit against Israel and brought the occupying state and its occupier leaders to the ICJ for the first time since the Nakba.”

“We see this as a very important step. The ICJ should continue its steps to stop the massacre in Gaza, ensure the entry of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza, and bring Israeli officials to justice as war criminals, Holocaust criminals, and perpetrators of massacres against the Palestinian people," he noted.

"Israel has been committing massacres for years, and these massacres go unpunished. This time, Israel should not go unpunished for these brutal massacres, crimes, and assassinations," he added.

On media

The Turkish, Arab, and global media have given good attention and support to the Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israeli genocide against them, Haniyeh said. 

On the other hand, "Israel" has been implementing a significant media blackout and stopping foreign media from going into the region in an attempt to hide their crimes and atrocities from being documented and shown to the world, Haniyeh stressed. 

In turn, he urged Turkish media and other outlets to fight "Israel's" media blackout and keep on shedding light on the dimensions of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as well as exposing all Israeli crimes. 

The martyrdom of his sons and grandchildren

Addressing the Israeli assassination of his sons and grandchildren, Haniyeh said that it reflects three things "Firstly, the enemy's failure to achieve military targets for seven months, except for killing civilians, thousands of children, women, and the elderly. Therefore, the massacre carried out during the holiday in which three of my sons and five of my grandchildren were killed is also included in this context and highlights the failure of the enemy."

"The second aspect is the misconception that such a massacre reaching my home, my children, and grandchildren will exert pressure on the leader and the leadership of the movement to make concessions in the ongoing negotiations, which is misleading," he added

Thirdly, my sons are part of the Palestinian people, and their situation is the same as that of the Palestinian people. From the very beginning, I said that the blood of my sons is not more valuable than that of the children of the Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, or anywhere else," Haniyeh said.

Haniyeh reiterated that all martyrs in Gaza, the West Bank, and abroad are his children, stressing "Therefore, we are equal in rights, duties, and sacrifices. We accept these with steadfastness, determination, and unwavering will. Regardless of the cost and the sacrifices required, we will continue on this path."

As the Turkish people held funeral prayers in absentia for Haniyeh's children and grandhcildren in more than 30 cities, Haniyeh expressed gratitude for the move. 

He added that the situation in other countries like Pakistan is proof of the unity of the ummah and the unity of its feelings.