Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Hamas’ Political Bureau, made the remarks in an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera television network on Sunday.
“The Resistance rejects the aggression of the enemy, which must be stopped before we can discuss prisoner exchanges,” he said.
“The issue of prisoner exchange is closed until the cessation of the war,” al-Hayya asserted, reiterating, “We want an end to the aggression. Then we will start reconstruction and construction [of Gaza], and after that, we will talk about the prisoners.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, al-Hayya stressed that Gaza’s Resistance groups are capable of withstanding the Israeli aggression and inflicting more losses on the enemy.
“The Resistance is fine, steadfast, and capable of inflicting more losses on the enemy in terms of personnel and equipment,” he said, adding, “The enemy will not be left in peace, neither in Gaza [City], nor in Khan Yunis, nor in the north, nor in any other area across the Gaza Strip.”
The Hamas official reaffirmed that the final goal sought by the Palestinian Resistance groups is “the liberation of our land and our sanctities.”
Pointing to the Israeli regime’s allegations that it seeks to end the rule and presence of Hamas in Gaza, al-Hayya said, “[What comes] next in Gaza is a victory [for the Resistance] and whoever thinks [about Gaza] without Hamas is thinking of an illusion.”
The Hamas official, meanwhile, expressed gratitude towards Yemen’s Ansarullah Resistance movement over its attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Ansarullah “has tilted the balance” in favor of Palestinians, he said, adding, “I am calling on our brothers in Yemen: Keep on following this path.”
Al-Hayya also thanked Iraqi Resistance groups and Lebanon’s Hezbollah Resistance movement for their retaliatory strikes against Israel and its backers, and in support of Palestinians in Gaza, saying Hezbollah has managed to “distract the enemy on the northern front.”
Around 19,000 people have been killed in the Israeli regime’s onslaught on Gaza that began on October 7 following an operation by the territory’s Resistance movements, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm.
AMK/PressTV
