Mohammad Al-Hindi, the leader of the Islamic Jihad, says that "Netanyahu's and his government's priority is not the return of the (kidnapped) prisoners, but the continuation of the war against the Gaza Strip." Al-Hindi said that "the Israeli negotiators are dragging their feet" and "on the brink of negotiations, the occupation carried out a major and dangerous escalation when it asked all the residents of Gaza City to leave it" and "the action of uprooting Gaza City residents is a step that does not indicate the occupation desire to reach an agreement." Related articles: War can end tomorrow, it's simple: hostages back, Hamas out Family of hostage Matan Angrest to reveal footage from kidnapping Hamas will not respond to Israel’s ceasefire counter-proposal 'The only thing that can stop us is the release of our hostages!' According to Al-Hindi, "Netanyahu is excellent at playing on the opposing elements in the US, and he knows that as the (election) date gets closer, it will not be possible to pressure him to reach an agreement." Regarding the American role in the negotiations, Al-Hindi said that "Washington is not interested in placing the responsibility for the failure of the negotiations on Netanyahu, and it seems that it speaks very cautiously about the atmosphere of the negotiations." "The resistance showed flexibility during the negotiations, as it strives to reduce the suffering of the Palestinian people" and it "agreed to negotiations regarding the second phase on the condition that the ceasefire continues during it," said Al-Hindi, noting that "there is no date for the delegation's return and the continuation of further meetings." The leader of the Islamic Jihad also said that "the resistance wants to receive a guarantee that the temporary ceasefire will turn into a permanent ceasefire at the end of the negotiations" as well as "guarantees for the occupation's withdrawal from the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors."
