A member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Osama al-Hamdan, warned that the prisoner exchange negotiations would end if Israel launched a ground attack on the Rafah region of the Gaza Strip.
Hamdan made a statement to “Al Manar TV”, which is known for its closeness to the Hezbollah movement.
Stating that if Israeli forces launch a ground attack on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, the ongoing prisoner exchange talks will end immediately, Hamdan said the Gaza Resistance Front (Hamas) cannot hold talks while under fire.
Hamdan said that their attitude towards the proposals for negotiations with Israel is “negative”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to launch a ground attack on Rafah “with or without” a deal with Hamas.
Speaking at a meeting with the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said that Israel had begun evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah, his office said.
“We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there, with or without an agreement, in order to achieve a complete victory,” he said.
Israel considers Rafah the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. Rafah is the southernmost city of Gaza, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
He made the remarks as Israeli and Hamas negotiators were in Egypt-brokered talks on a ceasefire agreement for the nearly seven-month conflict in Gaza, which would secure the release of the hostages, Xinhua reported.
