Hamas Political Bureau member Hossam Badran said the Palestinian resistance agreed to the current ceasefire fully aware that Israel would “test, delay, and evade” its obligations, stressing that the movement remains committed to halting the bloodshed inflicted on Gaza.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Mubasher, Badran emphasized that Hamas is fully adhering to the terms of the ceasefire and is working diligently to locate the two remaining bodies of deceased captives believed to be buried beneath massive destruction caused by Israeli bombardment. He condemned Israel for using the issue of the missing bodies as a pretext to stall the transition to the second phase of the agreement.

“We went to this agreement fully aware of the magnitude of the challenges, whether in the texts contained in it or in the implementation mechanisms,” Badran said. “We are accustomed to the occupation’s evasion of its commitments.”

Badran underlined that Hamas chose to enter the agreement to stop what he described as “the daily genocide war that the occupation was waging against our people and our families in Gaza.”

While acknowledging that Israeli violations of the ceasefire continue, he stressed that today’s breaches cannot be compared to the relentless destruction, massacres, and forced displacement endured by Gaza’s population throughout the war.

Badran called on the international community to understand Hamas’s rationale for proceeding with the agreement despite Israeli obstruction, noting that the priority remains to protect Palestinian civilians who have suffered months of devastation.

He urged the world to recognize the humanitarian catastrophe created by Israel’s military assault and to pressure Tel Aviv to stop using procedural excuses to delay the advancement of the ceasefire roadmap.

The remarks come as international mediators continue to warn that Israel’s reluctance to implement agreed-upon steps threatens the fragile calm in Gaza, where millions remain displaced and struggling under catastrophic living conditions. (ILKHA)