Abu Ubaida: Netanyahu Won’t Gain Through Threats and Tricks What He Failed to Take by War

Gaza (Quds News Network)- Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades – Hamas’s military wing – said on Thursday that should Israel return to war in Gaza, it would risk the lives of the remaining living captives.

In a 12-minute video posted to Telegram, Abu Ubaida said that Hamas is still committed to abiding by a ceasefire deal.

“Despite all the enemy’s attempts at evasion, lies and deception… we preferred and still prefer to adhere to the agreement in order to spare the blood of our people,” he added.

“What the Israeli enemy failed to achieve through war, it will not obtain through threats and deception.”

He added that the resistance has the capability to hurt the Israeli enemy in any future confrontation, calling Israeli threats a “sign of weakness and humiliation.”

“The shortest path to regional stability is forcing the Israeli enemy to abide by the (ceasefire) terms it signed,” he said.

Abu Ubaida accused Israel of trying to renege on the agreement, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is prioritizing political interests over the fate of Israeli captives.”​​​​​​​

He added that Palestinian factions have honored their commitments under the ceasefire deal since Jan. 19, including a structured process for prisoner exchanges.

Blocking Aid

Since the first phase ended on Saturday, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, preventing food, water, fuel, and medicine from entering the enclave amid widespread condemnations.

Israel’s decision came after Hamas refused to accept the extension of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, noting it will only release captives in phases, per the ceasefire agreement, which Israel is now refusing to continue.

Israel said that it had accepted a last-minute proposal put on the table by the US president’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for a temporary ceasefire over Ramadan and Passover.

According to Israel, the proposal also outlined the release of all captives still in Gaza in two stages, with the second stage contingent on negotiating a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas said it would only accept moving to the second stage, which was supposed to guarantee the definitive end of the assault, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of remaining captives.

Trump Threats

Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday to warn Hamas that it has a “last chance” to leave the Gaza Strip, adding there will be “hell to pay” if the captives were not released, as he weighs an Arab League plan for the enclave’s reconstruction and governance.

“I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say,” Trump wrote. “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.”

In a follow-up post, he addressed “the People of Gaza” directly, saying: “A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”

Hamas: Trump’s Threats “Complicate” Ceasefire

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement that Trump’s threats and his overall rejection of a truce deal complicate the situation.

“These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and encourage the occupation government not to implement the agreement,” Qassem said.

“There is a ceasefire agreement that was signed, and the United States was one of the mediating countries. The agreement stipulates the release of all prisoners over three stages, and Hamas has implemented what it was required to do in the first stage.”

He added that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “evading entering into the second phase negotiations,” urging the Trump’s administration to pressure Israel to start the next phase of the ceasefire agreement.

Another spokesperson for the Palestinian movement, Abdul Latif al-Qanou, reiterated in a separate statement that the best path to free the remaining Israeli captives was for Israel to enter the second phase of negotiations and “be obligated to abide by the agreement signed under the auspices of the mediators.”

“Trump’s repeated threats against our people constitute support for Netanyahu to evade the agreement and tighten the siege and starvation against our people,” Qanou said.

Meanwhile, the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office expressed a similar sentiment, saying that Trump’s position only reinforces Netanyahu’s crimes against Palestinians.

“Such positions are what give the war criminal Netanyahu the strength and ability to continue his crimes as long as he receives absolute support and encouragement to commit more crimes against 2.4 million people,” Salama Maroof said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Our people or their resistance in #Gaza have never been the problem, but the problem has always been the occupation, and what is happening today in the West Bank and Jerusalem is the best evidence,” Maroof added, referring to the deadly military campaigns taking place in the occupied Palestinian territories.

US in Direct Talks with Hamas

Trump’s threats directed at civilians in Gaza came just hours after the news outlet Axios revealed that the US has been in direct talks with Hamas.

The two sides met face to face in the Qatari capital Doha and the discussions are ongoing, the White House press secretary confirmed to reporters on Wednesday.

The talks are mainly focused on the release of Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the only living American captive still held in Gaza. Four other Americans were previously declared dead in captivity.

Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the briefing that with American lives at stake, “Dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven is what he believes is a good faith effort to do what’s right for the American people.”

Israel was consulted on the talks, she added.
For his part, Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his government “expressed its position” to Washington about discussions with Hamas.

The US president also confirmed that a senior US official held direct talks with Hamas recently about gaining the release of captives in Gaza.

Trump, talking to reporters in the Oval Office in Washington, said the effort is aimed at helping Israel and that the United States would not pay for the release of captives.

Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, participated in the direct talks with Hamas.

A Hamas official cited by the AFP news agency confirmed the negotiations over Israeli-US captives held in Gaza.

The US had previously publicly refused direct contact with the Palestinian group since banning them as a “terrorist” organisation in 1997.