Meir Ben Shabbat
Israel Hayom, Aug. 4, 2025
“Despite upheavals in negotiations throughout the months of war, the four basic demands Hamas set as conditions for returning all hostages have not changed.”
French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron didn’t have to wait long for it to come. Razi Hamad, a senior official in Hamas’ political bureau based in Qatar, rushed to take credit on behalf of Hamas for the Palestinian statehood recognition initiative. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, he claimed this development was “one of the fruits of the October 7 attack” and clarified that “resistance weapons are the essence of the Palestinian issue – we in Hamas are committed to this and will not hand over even a single empty bullet.”
For those having trouble remembering, this is the same Hamad who, days after the massacre, explained in media interviews that Israel is “a state we want to bring down” and promised: “The Al-Aqsa Flood is only the first time. There will be a second, third, and fourth time. We have the resilience and capability to fight and pay the price.” It’s hard to understand why the long arm of Israeli security mechanisms hasn’t reached him, but it’s still not too late.
Hamas draws encouragement from the success of the “hunger in Gaza” campaign and the responses it generated worldwide and in Israel. They are also pleased with the connection made between the Palestinian statehood recognition initiative and the war in the Strip. The timing of its launch, as well as the connection some Western leaders created between it and the situation in Gaza, turned this initiative in the public’s eyes into a political achievement for Hamas. Suppose we add to this the easing of military pressure and the pipelines opened to flood the Strip with food and civilian supplies. In that case, we can understand the arrogance displayed by the terror organization. …SOURCE