A senior Hamas official says the movement retains the right to respond to ceasefire violations, blaming “Israel” for deliberately sabotaging efforts to advance the truce following the assassination of senior commander Raed Saad.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday, Hamas official Osama Hamdan paid tribute to Saad, describing him as a figure who devoted his life to the Palestinian cause and the defense of his land. Hamdan said the killing represented a serious breach of the ceasefire agreement and reflected a broader pattern of actions aimed at derailing negotiations.
He confirmed that intensive contacts are continuing with regional mediators, including Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, over the second phase of the ceasefire, but warned that “Israeli” actions are creating major obstacles to progress.
According to Hamdan, the entity is actively working to prevent the agreement from moving forward.
Hamdan reiterated that Hamas maintains its right to resistance, including armed resistance, stressing that this position is not limited to the movement alone. He said the decision to resist reflects a broad, popular Palestinian consensus rather than a factional choice.
Addressing proposals related to international monitoring, Hamdan said Palestinian factions view any international force as a guarantor for implementing the ceasefire, provided it respects Palestinian sovereignty and does not interfere with the population in Gaza.
He described Hamas as part of a decades-long continuum of Palestinian struggle, saying the movement emerged as an extension of more than a century of resistance and has remained committed to that path for over four decades. He also defended the decision to launch the Al-Aqsa Flood operation in October 2023, stating that there is no internal opposition within Hamas to that decision and arguing that international recognition of a Palestinian state is among its political outcomes.
Hamdan said the resistance places a high value on human life despite the widespread destruction inflicted on Gaza, adding that Palestinians do not shed blood lightly. He called on the international community to acknowledge and apologize for what he described as acts of genocide committed by “Israel” against the Palestinian people.
While acknowledging the losses suffered by the movement, Hamdan said Hamas is reorganizing and rebuilding its leadership and structures, insisting that the group’s internal cohesion remains intact and will become evident in the period ahead.
