Doha - Saba:
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), expressed his surprise at the statements issued by US President Donald Trump, and before him by US Special Envoy Witkoff, which contradict the mediators' assessment of the movement's position and are not consistent with the course of the negotiating process, which was witnessing actual progress. The mediating parties, especially Qatar and Egypt, expressed their satisfaction and appreciation for Hamas's serious and constructive position.
In a press statement received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) on Saturday, al-Rishq said: "The American statements ignore the real obstacle to all agreements, represented by the Netanyahu government, which is placing obstacles, evading, and evading its obligations."
He added, "Hamas has, since the beginning of the negotiating process, acted with national responsibility and high flexibility, and has been keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that halts the aggression and puts an end to the suffering of our people in the Gaza Strip."
"Our final response was submitted after extensive national consultations with Palestinian factions, mediators, and friendly countries. We responded positively and flexibly to all the observations raised within the framework of the Witkoff document itself.
We emphasized only the need for clarity and fortification of the clauses, especially those related to the humanitarian aspect, ensuring the massive flow of aid and its distribution through the United Nations and its approved agencies, without enemy interference. We also emphasized the need to reduce the depth of the buffer zones where the enemy remains during the 60 days, and to avoid densely populated areas to ensure the return of most of our people to their homes."
He emphasized that the American accusations regarding aid and allegations of its theft are false and baseless. They were recently refuted by a report published by Reuters, citing a USAID investigation, which indicated that the US State Department accused Hamas of stealing aid without providing photographic evidence, and that at least 44 of the 156 incidents of aid theft in Gaza were due to Israeli military actions. The investigation concluded that there is no evidence that Hamas systematically stole US-funded aid to the Gaza Strip.
He stated that, in contrast, the enemy continues to bomb civilians in aid distribution areas, fuels chaos and insecurity, and prevents the provision of relief channels.
He called on the US administration to stop exonerating the enemy and providing it with political and military cover to continue its crimes of genocide and starvation against more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. It called on the US administration to play a real role in pressuring the enemy government to seriously engage in reaching an agreement that ends the aggression and achieves a prisoner exchange deal.
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