When U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, submitted a new ceasefire proposal, Israel’s Prime Minister quickly accepted it. The speed of Netanyahu’s response made it clear: the offer favoured Israel, particularly by allowing it to resume war after retrieving its captives from the hands of the Palestinian resistance.
Even before official positions were announced, Trump teased “good news” coming out of Gaza — raising international expectations that a massacre nearing its 20th month might finally end. But the pressure shifted subtly and dangerously: by presenting the ceasefire as a breakthrough, blame for any delay would land squarely on the resistance. That’s exactly what the Israeli regime and its American patron intended.
The resistance movements did not reject the proposal — they simply requested revisions that would secure basic humanitarian rights for Gaza’s people, such as unrestricted aid and guarantees to end the war. In response, Zionist media and pro-Israel voices launched a smear campaign, accusing the resistance of prolonging the suffering. But is it true? Is the resistance refusing peace?
War: A Goal for Israel, Not the Resistance
Before anything else, we must clarify who wants this war to continue. For Netanyahu and his government, war is a political lifeline — a tool to preserve power. For the resistance, war is not the goal, and neither is harming the Palestinian people, who continue to suffer under bombardment.
From the earliest days of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the resistance expressed a willingness to release civilian captives without demanding anything in return. On October 11, 2023 — just days after the operation — a woman holding Israeli citizenship and her two children were released unconditionally. Then, on October 20, two American hostages (a mother and daughter) were released. A day later, Al-Qassam Brigades offered to free captives “Nurit” and “Yocheved” on humanitarian grounds — but the Israeli government refused to accept them. They were later freed on October 23, again without a deal.
Even senior resistance leader Khaled Meshaal stated that 50 days into the Israeli onslaught:
“From day one, we expressed readiness to release civilians held by the resistance and the people, as they were captured during Israel’s military collapse. We released some to challenge Israel’s narrative.”
The message is clear: the resistance never aimed to kidnap civilians, nor to prolong war. They sought to make the world hear the voice of a besieged people — and they did so with dignity.
Negotiations: Resistance Holds the Only Real Leverage
The resistance today holds one card: the captives. And yet, they are demanded to give it up without any real guarantees — no end to war, no assurance of aid, no meaningful prisoner exchange.
Let’s look at history:
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- The November 2023 ceasefire
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- The January 2024 ceasefire
Both were violated by Israel. Aid was delayed, restricted, or declared “unnecessary”. Fighting resumed abruptly. Israel halted prisoner releases and re-occupied lands that were supposed to be evacuated. It even re-arrested Palestinians who had been freed under the last ceasefire.
Despite this, resistance movements honoured requests by intermediaries. In one case, they released Israeli-American soldier Idan Alexander in exchange for humanitarian aid — only to see the Americans break the deal.
So why, after all this, is the resistance expected to hand over its only leverage for free?
Netanyahu Admits He Plans to Resume War
Netanyahu has stated openly: once the captives are returned, war will continue. He’s even proposed that Hamas hand over its weapons and that Gaza be demilitarised — while Israel retains full freedom to invade and terrorise, as it does daily in the West Bank.
Resistance leaders have rejected this demand outright. Their weapons are not negotiable. Without them, Gaza would be like the West Bank — open prey for occupation, checkpoints, and daily raids. Disarming resistance means surrendering the last breath of Palestinian dignity.
A Criminal Occupier Hiding Behind Ceasefire Rhetoric
Nothing reveals the barbarity of this occupation more than its targeting of displaced civilians — women, children, and the elderly now make up over 60% of all martyrs in Gaza, according to the Government Media Office (May 28).
In just 8 days, Israeli forces killed 102 starving Palestinians and wounded 490 more at so-called “aid centres” (June 3 report). This isn’t “collateral damage.” It is deliberate starvation, displacement, and extermination — carried out even in the West Bank, where no armed resistance joined the October 7 operation.
Let’s not forget:
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- 17 years of siege on Gaza
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- Decades of settlement building
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- Eight decades of ethnic cleansing and land theft
Palestinians were being massacred and expelled long before Hamas existed, long before any rocket was fired, and before Israel was even declared a state.
So what excuse does the occupier give for its brutality in 1948? The truth is: it needs no excuse. This is a colonial machine built on bloodshed.
A World That Abandoned Palestine — Until the Resistance Spoke
For over 80 years, Palestinians have had no meaningful support — not from Arab regimes, not from Muslim states, and certainly not from the so-called international community. With every betrayal, another right was stripped away. That’s why resistance groups rose from among the people — to carry the voice of the oppressed and expose the crimes of the occupier.
So the real question is not:
“Why is the resistance being stubborn?”
The real questions are:
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- Why have Arab regimes ignored Palestinian suffering?
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- Why do Western leaders close their eyes to genocide?
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- Why are we debating whether a brutal occupier has any moral claim to this land?
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- And why has the world lost its fitrah — its innate sense of justice?
