The prominent leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Osama Hamdan, said that the occupation only wants one stage of the truce in which it takes prisoners, and then resumes its war on the Gaza Strip, stressing that the occupation will not see its prisoners except according to a fair exchange deal.
This came in a press conference held by Hamdan in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, the majority of which was devoted to talking about the suffering of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons and the escalation of violations against them since last October 7.
Regarding the ceasefire negotiations and prisoner exchange, Hamdan said that Hamas received an offer on May 5, and announced its approval of it one day later, but Israel did not respond to it.
He pointed out that Israel’s response does not respond to stopping the war and withdrawing from Gaza, and does not agree with the principles recently set by US President Joe Biden, adding that the occupation only wants one stage in which it takes prisoners, then resumes its war.
Hamdan added, “Without a clear position from Israel to prepare for a permanent cessation of war and withdrawal from Gaza, there will be no agreement,” stressing that Hamas cannot agree to an agreement that does not secure a final ceasefire.
He pointed out that “the Zionist entity did not submit a proposal, but rather submitted an objection to the mediators’ proposal.”
On Friday evening, Biden announced the existence of a three-stage “Israeli proposal,” which includes a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza. But there is a disagreement between the two allies, Washington and Tel Aviv, regarding the proposal.
Palestinian prisoners
Regarding the conditions of prisoners in Israeli prisons, Hamdan warned that talking about prisoners, hostages and abductees in occupation prisons has become a duty after last October 7, adding that it is not possible to accept the continued suffering of Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons.
He noted that the occupation’s prevention of human rights and humanitarian institutions from accessing the prisoners confirms their tragic reality, adding that Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir reflects daily on his crimes against the prisoners in the occupation’s prisons.
Hamdan enumerated some of the violations committed by the occupation forces against prisoners, such as amputation of limbs, due to continued restrictions, torture, beatings and abuse, in addition to systematic field executions against Palestinian detainees.
During the conference, several videos were broadcast that showed various forms of torture, humiliation and abuse against prisoners, starting from the moment of arrest all the way to the practices taken against them inside prisons, as well as testimonies from released Gazan detainees, one of whom emerged with an amputated foot.
Numbers and violations
Hamdan stressed that the occupation continues its violations and crimes against prisoners and field executions of those kidnapped from Gaza, noting an unprecedented rise in the number of martyrs inside the occupation prisons, as 18 of them were announced to have been martyred since October 7, 2023.
He pointed out that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed the discovery of 225 bodies of Palestinian prisoners taken from the Gaza Strip, revealing that the occupation authorities have arrested more than 16,000 Palestinian women since 1967.
The number of Palestinian prisoners since October 7 has reached 9,500 – according to Hamdan – who said that the occupation forces have arrested more than 4,000 people from the Gaza Strip since that date, some of whom were injured due to Israeli bombing.
Since that date, female prisoners from the Gaza Strip have been subjected to various types of torture and violations, and the occupation forces threatened some of them with rape unless they gave testimonies attacking the Hamas movement, according to Hamdan.
He added that the occupation is still detaining more than 200 Palestinian children in its prisons since last October 7, where they face harsh conditions, and pointed out that it has practiced the worst types of violations and crimes against prisoners from the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The Hamas leader called for international pressure on the occupation authorities to allow visits to prisoners and detainees, and called for “a serious and immediate international movement to work to stop the violations committed against our detainees.”
He pointed out that the silence of international institutions regarding violations against Palestinian detainees holds them all responsible for these crimes, stressing that violations and crimes against prisoners and detainees are a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.
Hamdan called on “the Arab and Islamic nation and friendly countries to keep the issue of our prisoners present diplomatically and popularly,” stressing that “the occupation will not see its prisoners except according to a fair exchange deal through which our prisoners and detainees will enjoy freedom.”
