Hamas: Our Warriors Ready to Die, But We´re Open to Talks
Media Line News Agency
January 13, 2009
Eighteen days into the Israeli offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hamas is showing the first signs of weakness.
In an exclusive interview with Hamas´s representative in Yemen, Jamal ´Issa, The Media Line (TML) has learned that although Hamas´ operatives were "willing to sacrifice their lives for the victory of the Palestinian people," the movement would nevertheless agree to consider cease-fire initiatives to stop the violence.
The interview with ´Issa was conducted several hours after Isma´il Haniyya, Hamas´s leader in Gaza, gave a televised interview from his hiding place, in which he said his movement was now operating on two tracks: the armed resistance and – for the first time – the diplomatic track.
"We will consider in a positive way any initiative toward putting an end to Israel´s aggression," Haniyya said Monday night.
Commenting on Haniyya´s call, ´Issa regarded it as a "message of power."
"We in Hamas are spending much effort on all the [cease-fire] initiatives, but we are in no way obliged to accept any initiative that would mean that the blood of our dead was spilled in vain," ´Issa told TML.
Hundreds of Hamas operatives have been killed in the past two weeks, including Amir Man´si, who headed the rocket-launching units.
Hamas´s representative in Yemen made it clear, however, that the movement´s operatives were willing to die for the sake of their children´s generation and that the death of one operative or even 100 operatives would not affect the war.
´Issa added Hamas was continuing its diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement, taking into consideration initiatives from Egypt, France, Turkey and other countries.
Israel, for its part, said it would not agree to a cease-fire that would play into Hamas´s hands.
"Hamas would like a cease-fire to rearm, regroup and then shoot more rockets into Israel," Mark Regev, Israel´s Prime Minister´s Office spokesman told TML.
"This is obviously not a scenario that Israel can support. Israel is working together with regional and international partners to make sure that when this is in fact over, we will have a sustainable and durable quiet in the south," added Regev.
Commenting on Haniyya´s call for a cease-fire, Regev said it was obvious from his body language that Haniyya was under immense pressure.
"The Hamas leadership is in a state of collapse and we see this as a sign that our military operation is indeed being successful," Regev concluded.
In an exclusive interview with Hamas´s representative in Yemen, Jamal ´Issa, The Media Line (TML) has learned that although Hamas´ operatives were "willing to sacrifice their lives for the victory of the Palestinian people," the movement would nevertheless agree to consider cease-fire initiatives to stop the violence.
The interview with ´Issa was conducted several hours after Isma´il Haniyya, Hamas´s leader in Gaza, gave a televised interview from his hiding place, in which he said his movement was now operating on two tracks: the armed resistance and – for the first time – the diplomatic track.
"We will consider in a positive way any initiative toward putting an end to Israel´s aggression," Haniyya said Monday night.
Commenting on Haniyya´s call, ´Issa regarded it as a "message of power."
"We in Hamas are spending much effort on all the [cease-fire] initiatives, but we are in no way obliged to accept any initiative that would mean that the blood of our dead was spilled in vain," ´Issa told TML.
Hundreds of Hamas operatives have been killed in the past two weeks, including Amir Man´si, who headed the rocket-launching units.
Hamas´s representative in Yemen made it clear, however, that the movement´s operatives were willing to die for the sake of their children´s generation and that the death of one operative or even 100 operatives would not affect the war.
´Issa added Hamas was continuing its diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement, taking into consideration initiatives from Egypt, France, Turkey and other countries.
Israel, for its part, said it would not agree to a cease-fire that would play into Hamas´s hands.
"Hamas would like a cease-fire to rearm, regroup and then shoot more rockets into Israel," Mark Regev, Israel´s Prime Minister´s Office spokesman told TML.
"This is obviously not a scenario that Israel can support. Israel is working together with regional and international partners to make sure that when this is in fact over, we will have a sustainable and durable quiet in the south," added Regev.
Commenting on Haniyya´s call for a cease-fire, Regev said it was obvious from his body language that Haniyya was under immense pressure.
"The Hamas leadership is in a state of collapse and we see this as a sign that our military operation is indeed being successful," Regev concluded.
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