“No negotiations” are possible at the moment with Israel while hostilities continue, a Palestinian Hamas official based in Doha told AFP on Monday.
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“The military operation continues and the resistance, led by the Al-Qassam Brigades (armed branch of Hamas), continues to defend the rights of our people, so there is currently no negotiation possible on the issue of prisoners or other” with Israel, said Hossam Badrane, a member of the Hamas political bureau in the Qatari capital.
“Our mission now is to do everything possible to prevent the occupation from continuing to commit massacres against our people in Gaza, which directly target civilian homes.”
The Israeli army on Monday ordered a complete siege of the Gaza Strip controlled by the Palestinian Islamist movement, on the third day of the war triggered by its surprise and unprecedented offensive.
More than 1,200 people have died on both sides since the start of hostilities.