DOHA, Qatar: Hamas’s top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya broke his silence in a pre-recorded statement aired overnight in Qatar, marking his first televised appearance since Israel targeted him and other Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha last month.
Hamas’s top officials have survived the Israeli strike, which killed six people and sparked a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from US President Donald Trump.
The Hamas leader remained defiant in the interview, saying he drew no distinction between those killed in the attack on Doha, including his son, and the tens of thousands who have died during the nearly two years of devastating Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza.
“We hope that their blood will pave the way to victory, the way to Jerusalem, the way to the disgrace of the occupation, and the way to the dignity and triumph of the nation,” he said in the video aired by Al Araby Television Network in Qatar.
The video was broadcast as negotiators began heading to Cairo Sunday for talks aimed at ending the ongoing Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing hope hostages would be released within days.
The diplomatic push follows Palestinian group Hamas’ positive response to Trump’s roadmap for the release of captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
Egyptian state-linked media said delegations of Hamas and Israel would hold indirect talks on Sunday and Monday.
The Hamas leader, in the interview, largely focused on the immense amount of suffering Gazans have faced during nearly two years of the blistering Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, had led efforts to broker a comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with several rounds of diplomacy carried out in Doha and Cairo.
