Al-Hayya pointed out that "the partial agreements related to Gaza are nothing more than a cover for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agenda, which is based on continuing war, genocide, and starvation."
He added, "We affirm our readiness to immediately begin negotiations on a comprehensive package, to release all (Israeli) prisoners in exchange for an agreed-upon number of our prisoners held by the occupation, a complete cessation of the war, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the start of reconstruction, and an end to the blockade."
In January 2025, Egypt, in coordination with Qatar and the United States, succeeded in reaching an agreement between Israel and Hamas, stipulating a ceasefire in Gaza in several stages. However, Tel Aviv violated the agreement and resumed its war of extermination last March.
Netanyahu, who is wanted by international justice, reneged on the second phase of the agreement and resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18, in deference to the more extreme wing of his right-wing government.
In his speech, Al-Hayya welcomed the position of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Adam Boehler, calling for a joint end to the prisoner swap and the war. He noted that this proposal intersects with Hamas's position, which stipulates a willingness to reach a comprehensive agreement on a prisoner exchange as part of a "single package" in exchange for a cessation of hostilities, the occupation's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the commencement of reconstruction.
He stressed that "resistance and its weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation, and they are a natural right of our people, as is the case with all peoples under occupation."
Earlier Thursday, Boehler had stated that "the war on the Gaza Strip will stop if the kidnapped Israelis are released, under his guarantee," adding in a television interview: "I guarantee that the war will stop the day the kidnapped are released. Hamas can contact us at any time to end everything that is happening."
Since resuming its genocide, Israel has killed 1,691 Palestinians and injured 4,464 others, the majority of whom are children and women, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip as of Thursday morning.
Al-Hayya called for immediate international intervention and pressure to end the Israeli blockade of Gaza, noting that "more than two million people in Gaza are being subjected to genocide through starvation."
He emphasized that Hamas and the Palestinian factions worked to halt the genocide over more than a year and a half of negotiations, leading to the January 17, 2025, agreement in its three stages. He added that the movement fulfilled all of its commitments, while accusing Netanyahu and his government of "reversing" the agreement and resuming the genocide before the first stage was completed.
He also noted that the movement had agreed to a proposal by mediators at the end of last Ramadan (which ended on March 29), despite its belief that Netanyahu was insisting on continuing the war to protect his political future. He asserted that Netanyahu later rejected the proposal despite Hamas's approval.
He added that Netanyahu's response to the mediators' initiative included a proposal with unattainable conditions that would not lead to a ceasefire or withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
On March 14, Hamas announced its acceptance of a mediators' proposal to resume negotiations in exchange for the release of Israeli-American prisoner Idan Alexander and the return of the bodies of four dual-citizen prisoners. However, Israel rejected the proposal and continued its war of extermination.