Gaza’s children paying for Netanyahu’s political ambitions with blood: Hamas

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has lambasted Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for sacrificing the lives of the Gaza Strip’s children by prolonging Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on the territory.

The movement made the remarks in a statement on Saturday, referring to Netanyahu’s efforts at making the war last as long as possible until, what he has called, the ultimate release of the Israeli captives that remain in Gaza. The Israeli premier has been deploying the tactic as a means of securing his political longevity.

"The blood of Gaza's children is a victim of Netanyahu's ambitions to remain in power," it said.

The statement coincided with recent remarks by Hamas’ officials marking Palestinian Children’s Day, in which they said children in Gaza were being subjected to what amounted to "systematic genocide."

Last year, Gaza’s health ministry said more than 14,000 children had been killed in the coastal sliver since the onset of the warfare. Earlier this month, Hamas put the number at around 19,000.

Hamas says 19,000 children killed in Gaza, calls for prosecution of Israeli leaders

Hamas says at least 19,000 children have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 2023.

“The Zionist enemy targets Palestinian children systematically, denying them their right to life, education, and healthcare,” Hamas also said in another statement earlier this month.

Adding to its Saturday statement, the movement noted that even the regime’s captives, themselves, had turned into a target of the premier’s warlike efforts.

Scores of the captives have been killed as a result of incessant and indiscriminate Israeli attacks on Gaza throughout the war.

The resistance group further pointed to the growing public pressure among the regime’s illegal settlers across the occupied Palestinian territories for Tel Aviv to halt the brutal assault and, therefore, secure the release of the captives.

It said the demands underscored Netanyahu’s direct responsibility for prolonging the warfare.

"The escalating calls within the occupying entity to stop the war and free the captives confirm Netanyahu's responsibility for perpetuating the war and for the suffering of his captives and our people," Hamas added.

Reiterating its position on a possible exchange of the captives with Palestinian prisoners, the movement said the formula was simple and widely accepted, namely a ceasefire in return for a release of the captives.

“The world accepts it, but Netanyahu rejects it."

The group warned that every day of delay in reaching an agreement on the prospect translated into further bloodshed and deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Critics, meanwhile, note that Netanyahu is currently on trial for corruption charges in three separate cases, saying making the war last longer could deflect attention from the underway legal proceedings that he faces.

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