HAMAS leader and chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said yesterday that he is confident the Gaza ceasefire agreement will succeed and hold.
‘We are determined to see the agreement through to its end,’ Hayya said in an interview with Al-Qahera News in the Egyptian capital Cairo, adding that the agreement ‘will survive because we want it to succeed, and our commitment to it is strong,’ pointing to the international efforts that contributed to reaching the deal.
Hayya lauded the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, noting that ‘the international will and the major event hosted by Egypt and president Abdul-Fattah as-Sisi in the presence of US president Donald Trump serve as the guarantee that the war in Gaza has come to an end.’
Hayya stressed that the international gathering, hosted by Egypt and attended by Trump, reflected a global will to end the war on Gaza.
‘All the assurances we have received from the mediators and the US president reassure us that the war has ended with no return,’ he added.
Commenting on the issue of the remains of several Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, Hayya affirmed that his Movement is serious about retrieving and handing over all the bodies as stated by the agreement.
‘We have no interest or desire to keep anyone,’ he said. ‘Their remains should be returned to their families, just as the remains of our martyrs should be returned to their families and buried with dignity.
‘We are finding it extremely difficult to recover the bodies because the nature of the ground has changed, and some are under the rubble.’
He explained that due to the extensive destruction in the Strip, retrieving them ‘requires time and large equipment, but with determination and will – God willing – we will complete this file to the fullest.’
The Palestinian leader voiced hope for increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip that would adequately meet the needs of its residents.
He urged mediators to intensify efforts to expand assistance as winter approaches, especially with regard to shelter and medical supplies.
- The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said that it would release the recovered bodies of two Israeli captives at 9.00pm local time yesterday.
Since the ceasefire took hold on October 10, Hamas has handed over 13 out of 28 deceased abductees. The body of Israeli army Major Tal Haimi, 41, was given to the Red Cross on Monday in Gaza. All 20 living captives were also freed in one day as agreed in the US-brokered ceasefire.
Humanitarian aid trickling in
GAZA’s Government Media Office (GMO) said yesterday that since the ceasefire took effect, only 986 humanitarian aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip, which is far short of the 6,600 trucks that were supposed to arrive by Monday evening, October 20, 2025, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement yesterday, GMO affirmed that there is a severe shortage of basic items such as cooking gas and fuel for hospitals, bakeries and other vital sectors.
According to its statement, the average number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip daily since the ceasefire started has not exceeded 89, far below the 600 trucks that were supposed to enter each day.
‘This shortfall (in aid supplies) reflects the ongoing policy of strangulation, starvation, and humanitarian blackmail pursued by the Israeli occupation against more than 2.4 million civilians in Gaza,’ GMO said.
‘These limited quantities fall short of meeting even the population’s minimum humanitarian and living needs. The Gaza Strip urgently requires a steady and immediate flow of no less than 600 aid trucks per day, carrying food, medical supplies, relief items, fuel, and cooking gas to ensure the bare essentials for a dignified life.’
