GAZA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A senior Hamas official said on Thursday that the Gaza Strip is the rightful and exclusive property of the Palestinian people and "not a building up for sale in a real estate market," as tensions persist amid ongoing Israeli military operations in the coastal enclave.
In a press statement, Hamas official Basem Naim said that Palestinians remain firmly committed to their land and are prepared to make all necessary sacrifices to defend it.
Commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on ending global conflicts, Naim said such a plan cannot be realized as long as "the war in Gaza continues."
He stressed that Palestinians, like other nations, deserve the right to live in freedom, dignity, and independence.
Naim noted that Hamas has expressed its readiness to cooperate with all parties, including the U.S. administration, to end hostilities and launch a political process aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state.
He pointed out that the group has long declared its willingness to hand over the governance of Gaza to any consensual Palestinian body immediately, even before the end of the war.
He reaffirmed that the Palestinian people alone have the exclusive right to choose their leadership and political course through free and fair elections, a demand the Hamas movement has repeatedly reiterated.
Naim also addressed the issue of Israeli hostages, stating that Hamas had informed all concerned parties of its readiness to negotiate the release of all hostages in exchange for a complete halt to hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
He accused the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of rejecting this proposal and instead insisting on continuing military operations while attempting to retrieve the captives unilaterally.
"There can be no meaningful negotiations while Gaza is being starved and bombed," Naim said, stressing that a minimum condition for any constructive talks is the opening of crossings and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid -- a step he said the U.S. administration has the power to enforce.
"Food, water, and medicine are fundamental rights, not subjects for negotiation," he concluded.
Trump said Thursday in Doha during his ongoing Middle East trip that he wanted the United States to "take" Gaza and turn it into a "freedom zone."
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0516/c90000-20315769.html