"Tight security precautions are in place for resistance leaders inside and outside [Israel]

 While negotiations to develop a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip remain stalled, Israeli occupation forces continue their violent attacks on the Strip, causing casualties and material damage. A source in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stated that Israel, by escalating its recent military operations and assassinating the son of the movement's leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, seeks to impose a "negotiation by bullets" equation.

The source told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the movement is well aware that the dangerous military escalation initiated by the occupation, which included the assassination of al-Hayya's son, aims to send a direct message that, given the resistance's rejection of the "disarmament" clause, Israel intends to move to a stage of "negotiation by bullets."

He confirmed that the assassination came after the visit of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, to Tel Aviv, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and informed him of the resistance factions' response. This indicates that Israel resorted to this escalation to send direct messages aimed at exerting pressure.

The source stated, "Hamas is accustomed to this, and such pressure will not succeed in changing positions," referring to Haniyeh's recorded statement after the martyrdom of his fourth son in Gaza. He added that Hamas and the resistance factions anticipate further Israeli attacks and surprises aimed at pressuring Israel to change its stance.

The source revealed that Mladenov had attempted, through pressure in the past period, to alter several clauses in the proposed terms for bridging the gaps in the second phase of the ceasefire agreement.

He explained that the assassination of Haniyeh's son was preceded by a negotiation session involving resistance factions in Gaza, concerning the development of the ceasefire agreement, as part of the mediators' efforts to reconcile viewpoints and bridge the remaining gaps.

He revealed that Hamas and the resistance factions have raised the level of “strict security measures” in light of the situation on the ground and fears of “new Israeli surprises.”

Security precautions

Among these measures are heightened security precautions surrounding the negotiating delegation and the movement's leaders abroad, following strict instructions implemented by the movement's leaders in Gaza.

Contrary to rumors, the Palestinian resistance and Hamas have not withdrawn from the negotiations regarding the ceasefire. An informed source stated, "Everyone is committed to rejecting disarmament, and everyone demands that the terms of the first phase agreement be implemented first, before proceeding to the second phase." The source

added, "We requested this, and the mediators expressed their readiness to act in this regard, but Israel responded with assassinations and escalation."

In this context, Dr. Khalil al-Hayya, head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, said in a recorded statement after Israel assassinated his son, Azzam, in Gaza: "The Zionist enemy is accustomed to negotiating with Palestinians and non-Palestinians alike through fire."

He added, "This targeting is an extension of the Zionist enemy's targeting of the negotiating delegation in Qatar last year, and it comes within the same context. They want to impose their will at the negotiating table, but through force."

Al-Hayya added, “We are negotiating on behalf of our people and our resistance in a way that achieves our people’s goals.” He continued, “If the Zionist enemy thinks that by targeting leaders or their children and families it can take what we don’t want, and achieve

its aims through killing and terrorism, then I say that this is an illusion and impossible to achieve under these circumstances. The occupation will not reach its objective.” He pointed out that Hamas’s compass is “the interest of our people and the achievement of their legitimate political goals, bringing them stability and security, and achieving what will enable our people to remain steadfast on their land and in their homeland, unwavering.”

Amid the stalemate that dominates the mediators’ efforts to develop a ceasefire agreement, due to the significant disagreements between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel regarding the issue of “resistance weapons,” the occupation forces continued their attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces attacked the eastern border of Gaza City, specifically areas within the “yellow line,” and that gunboats fired heavy machine guns off the city’s coast.

Israeli artillery shelled the area around Wadi Gaza Bridge, northeast of the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps, while the eastern border of Bureij came under heavy machine gun fire.

Military vehicles that had advanced east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip also fired heavy machine guns at towns and neighborhoods within the "yellow line," which annexes 60% of the Gaza Strip, coinciding with intermittent artillery shelling.

These attacks violate the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, signed between Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, which stipulates a cessation of hostilities and came into effect on October 10 of last year.

It also continues to impose strict restrictions on the entry of goods and aid to the population, in violation of the humanitarian protocol attached to the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates the entry of 600 aid trucks per day.

siege

In discussing the tragedies in Gaza caused by the blockade, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stressed the urgent need to allow sanitation workers in Gaza to remove waste from displacement sites and residential areas and transport it to designated landfills in the Strip. This is crucial to mitigate the risk of life-threatening fires.

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, Israel has prevented municipal workers from accessing the main landfills located near the eastern border of the Strip, which are currently within the areas designated as "Yellow Line."

UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that, with access to the designated landfills impossible during the fighting, the Firas Market in central Gaza City has become a major solid waste dump. Garbage now covers an entire residential block, with piles exceeding four stories high. It is a scene that is difficult to imagine.

The UN website quoted him as saying that partners are emphasizing the need for permits to bring in the necessary equipment for removing waste, rubble, and unexploded ordnance into the Strip, as well as the spare parts required to operate this equipment. He added, "These permits are also critical to addressing the health risks associated with the spread of pests and rodents."

In a related context, Dujarric stated that access to water remains a significant challenge for the population. He explained that, given the devastated infrastructure, approximately 40 partners distribute nearly 20,000 cubic meters of water daily via trucks, noting that this process is heavily dependent on fuel availability and continued funding.

He added, “To meet households’ needs for drinking and cooking water, residents are forced to collect water directly from these trucks at around 2,000 distribution points. However, many people lack the proper containers to collect and store the water, and service providers are unable to guarantee equitable distribution.”