Hamas: No Ceasefire Talks Amid 'Genocide, Starvation'

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A senior Hamas leader has declared that the movement cannot proceed with ceasefire negotiations while what he termed the "siege, genocide, and starvation" of civilians in Gaza persists, setting the immediate and sufficient entry of aid as a precondition for any continuation of talks.

Khalil al-Hayya, a leader of the Hamas movement in Gaza —a movement designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom— delivered the message in a recorded speech, stating unequivocally that there is "no point in continuing negotiations" under the current conditions.

"There is no point in continuing negotiations under the conditions of siege, genocide, and the starvation of children, women, and people in the Gaza Strip," al-Hayya said. He emphasized that the "immediate and sufficient entry of food and medicine is what would signal a continuation of the negotiations."

The Hamas leader issued a stern warning, asserting that the movement "will not accept its people, and the suffering and blood of its children, becoming victims of the occupier's negotiation games and its pursuit of political objectives."

Al-Hayya also dismissed recent international aid efforts involving air-drops as insufficient and disingenuous. "We reject these farcical scenarios of airdropping humanitarian aid, which are nothing more than propaganda to cover up crimes," he added.

The statement from Hamas came as the Israeli army announced on Sunday, the implementation of a daily humanitarian ceasefire in a specific part of the Gaza Strip to facilitate aid delivery. According to the announcement, military operations in the al-Mawasi area will observe a daily pause from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, during which time food and medicine convoys will be delivered daily to Gaza via a safe route.

Separately, international and regional aid efforts are ongoing. The Reuters news agency has reported that Jordanian and Emirati planes have delivered approximately 25 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The report also stated that the Egyptian Red Crescent organization has dispatched more than 100 trucks carrying 1,200 tons of food to the besieged territory.

Adding to the international response, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the humanitarian situation. 

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed frustration over the lack of recognition for American humanitarian assistance to Gaza, specifically a recent food aid package aimed at alleviating hunger.

During a joint appearance in Turnberry, Scotland, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Mr. Trump was asked whether Israel should be doing more to facilitate the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.

In response, Trump emphasized that the United States had provided significant support just two weeks earlier.

“You know, we gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food,” he said. “And you really want at least someone to say ‘thank you’. No other country gave anything. It makes you feel a little bad when nobody talks about it.”