Netanyahu chose war over Gaza talks to secure power: Hamas official
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Hamas official Taher al-Nunu says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu subotaged ceasefire talks to maintain power, as Israeli bombardment of Gaza renews.
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Thousands of Israeli settlers demand their government secure the release of the remaining Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip by completing a ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian Resistance, in the wake of a renewed aggression on the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on March 18, 2025. (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never wanted to reach a final ceasefire agreement and instead worked on maintaining power over the government, Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told Al Mayadeen.
The top media advisor to Hamas' Political Bureau, al-Nunu, spoke to Al Mayadeen amid the renewal of wide-scale Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. These attacks signaled the resumption of the Israeli war on Gaza after Israeli authorities deliberately sabotaged the framework of a multi-phase agreement designed to achieve a lasting ceasefire.
Netanyahu "seeks to maintain his government, even at the cost of resuming the aggression against Gaza," the Hamas official told Al Mayadeen on Tuesday. He noted that Israeli authorities "refused to engage in negotiations" in the crucial second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which would have secured the release of remaining Israeli captives and a permanent ceasefire. Furthermore, the Israeli occupation did not fulfill critical obligations relating to the first phase of the agreement, such as withdrawal from the Gaza-Egypt border area and allowing sufficient aid deliveries.
On the other hand, Hamas agreed to a plan proposed by US envoy Adam Boehler and engaged in serious discussions around Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff's proposal, al-Nunu highlighted.
Read more: Ben Gvir returns to occupation government as 'Israel' massacres Gaza
US-Israeli derailment could cost remaining captives their lives
In detail, al-Nunu noted that Hamas agreed to the release of a soldier held in the Gaza Strip, who holds both American and Israeli citizenship, and four bodies of captives. The Resistance movement also urged an immediate commencement of second phase talks, while Israeli authorities derailed them to "preserve Netanyahu's government," al-Nunu asserted.
The Hamas official reiterated the movement's stance on the necessity of implementing the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing its continued engagement with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
He then criticized the US administration, led by President Donald Trump, saying that it has begun "acting as Israel's defense attorney."
Underlining that the retrieval of Israeli captives can only be achieved via a final agreement, al-Nunu warned that living captives, estimated at around two dozen, could be killed in the intense wave of airstrikes launched by their own government.
Read more: 'Negotiations with Hamas will be under fire': Netanyahu
