TEHRAN – The head of the Hamas Prisoners of War and Martyrs Office has rejected any plans to establish international governance in Gaza.
Zaher Jabarin stressed that Hamas remains committed to implementing the Gaza-related agreements, but firmly opposes any attempt to place the Palestinian people “under international protection.” “The time has come to recognize the people’s right to self-determination and build an independent nation,” he said.
In a televised address, Jabarin declared that the Palestinian resistance movement was “writing a bright page in history” through a prisoner exchange agreement and an end to the genocidal war. He said the achievement symbolized “freedom, dignity and pride in the history of struggle of our people.”
Jabarin praised the Al-Aqsa Flood prisoner exchange agreement, saying it had “broken the chains of more than 4,000 prisoners (in two years), including more than 500 with life sentences.” He added: “The freedom of the remaining prisoners is a responsibility that rests on our shoulders, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to free them.”
A senior Hamas official warned that “the flames of conflict will continue to burn if the detention of prisoners in the prisons of the occupation forces continues.” He claimed that with the occupation regime’s continued attempts to annex land in the occupied West Bank, expand settlements, and expand the Judaized al-Quds (Jerusalem), “the powder keg in the region is ready to explode.”
Jabarin said the prisoner exchange agreement “will be remembered as one of the greatest milestones in the historic struggle of our peoples,” and congratulated the freed Palestinian prisoners whose freedom was “sealed with the blood of martyrs.”
He stressed that the agreement represents a “contract and commitment to continue the path of resistance and freedom.”
Speaking about the Israeli occupation regime, Jabarin asserted that “the national rights of the Palestinian people are non-negotiable,” adding, “Palestinian statehood is not a favor, but a legitimate right of our people.”
Responding to US President Donald Trump’s threat to kill Hamas resistance fighters, Jabarin said: “Assassination attempts do not scare us or break our will. We are ready to pay the price for the freedoms and legitimate rights of our people.”
He paid tribute to Gaza and its people, saying, “Peace be to the patience and fortitude of Gazans, and peace be to the people of Gaza who refuse to surrender. Gazans will continue to be defiant, cherish life, and sing the anthem of freedom and victory.”
He described Gaza as “the graveyard of invaders and the final destination of free peoples,” adding: “We all owe a just debt to Gaza. Today, the oath of our martyred leaders is carried forward by new leaders, and the legacy of martyrs Yahya Sinwar and others continues under new commanders.”
Hamas officials also called for the arrest of Israeli regime war criminals, most notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that “the world faces real challenges today.”
Mr. Jabarin further stressed that anyone seeking peace in the region must start by implementing a unified international position on establishing a Palestinian state and securing the release of Palestinian prisoners still held in Israeli regime prisons.
Finally, he warned against Arab and Islamic countries resuming normalization of diplomatic relations with the occupying regime at the expense of the rights of the Palestinian people, and urged Arab and Islamic countries to seize the historic opportunity created by the fight against the Al-Aqsa floods to advance the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Hamas officials concluded by saying that the fighting “does not end with the sound of guns” and continues in line with the core principles of states’ rights, defense of the homeland, freedom of prisoners, and protection of sacred sites.