The Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement has expressed doubts about the ceasefire offer announced by US President Joe Biden, saying the “cessation of aggression” must involve “complete withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the besieged Gaza Strip.
The resistance group made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, a day after Biden said Israel has offered a “roadmap” to end its nearly eight-month genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
“We are skeptical about what the US president said. These statements are as if the US government has changed its position; While the White House’s full support of the Zionist regime and covering up its crimes and participating in Tel Aviv ‘s aggression against our nation by providing arms and all means of destruction is still clear,” it said.
The Islamic Jihad further emphasized it will evaluate any proposal that guarantees the cessation of genocide against the Palestinian nation and meets the interests of Palestinians as well as the demands of the resistance forces.
In a speech from the White House on Friday, Biden announced that Israel has offered a roadmap to end the war in Gaza which includes a full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded, in exchange for (the) release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
He also called on the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas to accept the ceasefire offer.
Meanwhile, in a televised speech, Abu Hamza, a spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, warned the occupying enemy that “the only way to return the Israeli prisoners is to withdraw from Gaza, stop the aggression and accept the terms of the resistance for the exchange of prisoners.”
Hamza went on to say that “the criminal Israeli regime” has committed genocide against a defenseless nation, stressing that the Israeli prisoners will not return to the settlements unless the regime stops the war.
“We tell the enemy that negotiation is the only solution to return its prisoners from the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“We reassure the enemy that we are still in excellent condition. The forthcoming terror of attrition will force the enemy to leave Gaza in disgrace,” he added.
Israel launched the war against Gaza last October in response to Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged by the Palestinian territory’s resistance movements.
The aggression has killed at least 36,379 Gazans, most of them women, children, and adolescents. Another 82,407 Palestinians have sustained injuries as well.
Egypt and Qatar have been mediating negotiations aimed at conclusion of a ceasefire agreement following one in November, during which Hamas released 105 of the captives that had seized during Al-Aqsa Storm.
In early May, Hamas agreed to another truce proposal enabling cessation of the Israeli aggression and release of the rest of the captives.
