Hamas Leader Al-Hayya: Gaza Ceasefire Reached as US, Mediators Guarantee End of Hostilities

By Staff, Agencies

Hamas Political Bureau member Dr. Khalil al-Hayya announced on Thursday evening the start of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, declaring that mediators — including the US administration — have provided guarantees that the war “has ended completely”.

In a televised address outlining the terms of the agreement, Al-Hayya expressed deep gratitude to the people of Gaza for their extraordinary resilience in the face of the “Israeli” entity’s genocidal war.

“We have received guarantees from our brothers, the mediators and the US administration, all confirming that the war has ended completely,” Al-Hayya affirmed.

The senior Hamas leader described the past two years as a war “unparalleled on a global scale,” praising the people of Gaza for enduring immense suffering while confronting the “Israeli” entity’s military campaign.

“Gaza residents fought in a war unprecedented in the world and faced the enemy’s tyranny, military actions, and massacres,” he said.

Al-Hayya called for continued coordination with all national and Islamic factions to ensure the successful implementation of the ceasefire’s next stages. He also extended appreciation to Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq for their unwavering support to Gaza and paid tribute to fallen leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, describing them as “martyrs of the nation”.

The newly announced agreement includes several immediate measures: a full “Israeli” withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the reopening of the Rafah crossing, and the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.

A central component of the deal is a large-scale prisoner exchange, involving the release of 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and around 1,700 others detained since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023.

Al-Hayya’s declaration follows a 20-point ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which envisions a permanent end to hostilities, the exchange of all “Israeli” captives for Palestinian prisoners and the creation of a new governing body in Gaza — one that excludes Hamas. The plan also calls for the deployment of a joint security force composed of Palestinian, Arab and Islamic troops, alongside an international reconstruction initiative.

“We dealt with the US president’s plan with high responsibility and delivered a response that serves our people and prevents further bloodshed,” Al-Hayya noted.

Hamas has also demanded the release of long-imprisoned figures, including Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, PFLP Secretary General Ahmad Saadat, and senior Qassam Brigades commander Abdullah Barghouti, in addition to Abbas al-Sayed. The group further insists on the return of the bodies of assassinated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammad.

According to the agreement, “Israeli” forces will begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza, though the boundaries of the initial redeployment remain unspecified.

Since October 2023, “Israeli” attacks have martyred more than 67,000 Palestinians, over 80 percent of them civilians, based on leaked “Israeli” military data. The onslaught also produced famine conditions and left nearly every structure in Gaza — homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches — either destroyed or damaged.

International bodies, UN experts and numerous governments have characterized the “Israel” entity’s campaign in Gaza as acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.