Hamas: Netanyahu lying about Gaza de-escalation

The movement passed the remarks in a statement on Saturday after the Israeli premier was cited across various reports as allegedly instructing the regime’s forces to “halt” all offensives throughout the coastal sliver and only resort to “defensive” strikes.

“The continuation of the occupation's bombing and massacres exposes Netanyahu's lies about reducing military operations against civilians,” Hamas said.

“The Zionist occupation army continues to commit its horrific crimes and massacres against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” it added, lamenting that Israeli attacks had most recently claimed the lives of at least 70 people.

The continued “bloody escalation exposes the falsehood of the claims” made by the regime “regarding the reduction of military operations against unarmed civilians,” the group stated.

Earlier, Netanyahu was reported to have issued the order as he was tasking the military with “advancing readiness” for implementation of the “first part” of a 20-point plan devised by Donald Trump.

The US president has said the proposal is aimed at ending the regime’s October 2023-present war of genocide on Gaza.

Hamas expressed its approval with certain provisions of the proposal on Friday, saying it would enter negotiations towards enabling the release of the remaining Israeli captives in Gaza, whether they were dead or alive.

It also agreed to handing over the administration of the territory to a “Palestinian body of independents (technocrats)” based on Palestinian national consensus and based on Arab and Islamic support.

The decision, the group said, was rooted in its keenness towards realization of an end to the genocide that has so far claimed the lives of around 66,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The movement also said it had come up with the response “based on national responsibility and out of concern for the constants, rights, and supreme interests of the Palestinian people.

The response was widely praised by various resistance groups and countries due to its measured yet politically shrewd nature.

Hamas’ goodwill gesture was, however, soon followed by persistent intense bombing of the northern part of the territory by the Israeli military.

Also on Friday, American outlet Axios reported that Netanyahu had rejected Trump’s proposal, telling his team to stick to the plan they had before the US president verified Hamas’ response.