Doha – SABA:
Member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, Bassem Naim, stated on Friday that recent negative remarks made by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff contradict the actual context of the latest round of negotiations—something Witkoff is fully aware of.
In a press statement, Naim said Witkoff’s comments serve the Israeli position, noting that just days earlier, Witkoff had claimed that “three out of four points had been agreed upon, and we are close to a breakthrough.” Naim said this contradiction reveals an attempt to apply more pressure in favor of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the next round of talks.
Naim added that mediators had received Hamas’s response very positively, describing it as constructive and close to what had already been proposed to both sides. Hours later, the mediators met again with Hamas’s negotiating delegation and conveyed that the feedback from the other party was also positive. They informed Hamas that the other side’s delegation would return early next week to resume negotiations on implementation details.
He clarified that recent discussions have focused primarily on “withdrawal and redeployment maps,” while key points regarding humanitarian aid, the 60-day temporary ceasefire, and a framework to ensure negotiations continue toward a permanent ceasefire had been mostly resolved.
As for the prisoner exchange deal, Naim said a general framework had been agreed upon, with specific details to be finalized when talks resume.
He emphasized that Hamas, in coordination with other factions, had shown significant flexibility in response to the urgent pleas of the people in Gaza and in a sincere effort to stop the ongoing massacre and famine. This was despite deep doubts about the enemy’s intentions and its continued pursuit of war, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement, all of which were evident in every Israeli proposal.
“What we offered, with full awareness of the complexity of the situation, could lead to a deal—if the enemy has the will. It could form the basis of a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal of occupying forces,” he said.
Naim concluded by asserting that the ball is now in Israel’s court—and its backers’—to end the war, which he described as a dirty political game to serve Netanyahu’s agenda and extremist ideologies. “These goals will never be achieved, no matter the cost or the time, because our people will never give up their freedom or right to self-determination.”
He stressed that Witkoff must act as a “neutral mediator” and apply pressure on the Israeli government to swiftly reach an agreement, commit to ending the war, and ensure a full withdrawal of occupying forces in order to move toward regional calm and stability.