Hamas: ‘US national security advisor’s statements a blatant distortion of reality’

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas considered US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s remarks, in which he stated: “The ceasefire would have been extended if Hamas released all remaining hostages. Instead, they chose war,” as a “blatant distortion of reality.”

In a statement issued on Friday, Hamas shared the view that Waltz’s statements equate the oppressor with the oppressed, noting that he has fully adopted the Israeli narrative.

Hamas conveyed that the occupation has no right to defend its occupation and that it has been the aggressor from the beginning. The movement asserted: “The ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, including the crimes of genocide committed in the Gaza Strip, is what should be subject to international condemnation and accountability, not justification and support from the relevant parties.”

The movement stressed that the claim that Hamas “chose war” instead of releasing the hostages is a distortion of the facts, noting that the Palestinian resistance presented clear initiatives for a ceasefire and a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal but that the occupation, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, deliberately rejected them.

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Hamas also responded to the mention of the possibility of extending the ceasefire if the resistance had released all the captives, stating that this claim ignores the fact that the occupation was not serious about implementing the terms of the truce and continued its killing and siege, which led to the failure of the understandings and undermined the chances of an extension.

The movement emphasised that the recent US statements once again reveal their complete complicity with the Israeli occupation in committing crimes against the Palestinian people, including genocide and starvation in the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians.

Hamas reiterated its assertion that the Palestinian resistance is exercising its legitimate right to defend its people, land and holy sites, noting that attempts to distort the facts will not succeed in absolving the occupation and will not provide moral cover for biased US policies.

In a post on X, the US official expressed his support for the renewed war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, claiming: “Israel has every right to defend its people from Hamas terrorists.”

Since resuming its genocide in Gaza at dawn on Tuesday and as of Thursday evening, Israel has killed 591 Palestinians and wounded 1,042 others, the majority of whom are women and children, according to official figures from the Gaza government.

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