Senior delegations from Hamas and Islamic Jihad met on Sunday to deliberate on the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and the trajectory of ongoing ceasefire negotiations, as the Palestinian people continue to face a brutal and genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation.

The meeting, which brought together a Hamas delegation led by Mohammad Darwish, head of the movement’s leadership council, and an Islamic Jihad delegation headed by Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah, underscored the steadfast resistance of the Palestinian factions against the Zionist onslaught that has left Gaza in ruins and claimed tens of thousands of innocent lives.

In a joint statement, the two movements honored the enormous sacrifices of the Palestinian people in the face of starvation, mass displacement, and systematic massacres. They condemned the Israeli regime's use of siege, famine, and indiscriminate bombing as tools of ethnic cleansing and population control aimed at uprooting the Palestinian people and imposing sinister plans on their land and future.

The delegations expressed immense pride in the bravery and resilience of the Palestinian resistance fighters, whose steadfast operations have inflicted heavy losses on the Israeli army despite overwhelming odds. “The courage, sacrifice, and unshakable will of our fighters are a reflection of the Palestinian nation’s unbreakable spirit,” the statement read.

Central to the discussions were the latest developments in negotiations brokered by regional and international mediators. Both factions reiterated that any proposed ceasefire must not be a cover for Israeli delay tactics or partial solutions.

The Palestinian people’s demands are clear and non-negotiable: an immediate and unconditional end to the Zionist aggression, the full and permanent withdrawal of all occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip, the lifting of the suffocating siege and reopening of all border crossings, and the initiation of an internationally guaranteed reconstruction process for Gaza.

The delegations reviewed the responses of the Israeli regime to ceasefire proposals and deliberated on strategic ways to confront them, ensuring that no agreement will undermine the heroic sacrifices of the Palestinian people or legitimize continued occupation.

This meeting comes as Gaza endures one of the darkest chapters in its history, with entire neighborhoods erased, hospitals out of service, and children dying from hunger and disease under an Israeli-imposed blockade. Yet despite the immense suffering, the Palestinian resistance and people remain defiant, united in their pursuit of liberation and justice.

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad concluded their meeting by pledging continued coordination and resistance until the enemy is expelled, the siege is broken, and the rightful aspirations of the Palestinian people—for freedom, dignity, and return—are fulfilled. (ILKHA)