Hamas says it is ready to hand over control of Gaza if the war ends and accuses Israel of blocking the truce.

Hamas ' chief negotiator and leader of the Islamist group in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al Hayya, said on Thursday that the organization is prepared to immediately hand over control of the government in Gaza to a consensual Palestinian actor if Israel ends its violent offensive.

We reiterate that we are willing to enter into a new cycle of serious negotiations in search of a permanent ceasefire agreement.

During a speech marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, Al-Hayya reiterated that Hamas is "ready to immediately hand over the government of Gaza to a Palestinian national and professional body, provided it is agreed upon."

During his speech, he blamed the Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, for obstructing negotiations to end the war "for personal and ideological reasons."

He also insisted that Hamas had accepted a US proposal for a truce presented two weeks ago , but that it was rejected by Israel, prompting the US to back down.

In this regard, the representative reiterated that the organization is prepared to engage in a new round of "serious" negotiations with the goal of reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement.

"We reiterate our willingness to engage in a new round of serious negotiations seeking to achieve a permanent ceasefire agreement," Hayya stated in the video.

He added that contacts "with mediators and other parties continue in that direction."

The leader also denounced Israel's insistence on maintaining total control over humanitarian aid through a mechanism (the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, or GHF) that has been criticized by international organizations and the UN for failing to comply with basic humanitarian principles for aid distribution.

Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt on one side and the United States on the other, came close to success in late May.

Since then, however, Israel has waged an intense offensive in the Palestinian enclave , which, combined with a blockade on humanitarian aid that lasted more than two months, has brought the population to the brink of death from starvation and the healthcare system to the brink of collapse.

And the situation has not improved, because even after the Netanyahu government allowed the entry of humanitarian aid, with only about 100 trucks on some days - previously around 500 were admitted per day - this has not been enough to meet the accumulated needs in Gaza.

Added to this is the fact that the distribution of medicine and food is now being carried out by an organization controlled by Israel and the United States, which has been repeatedly denounced by international organizations for being impartial in the conflict and attempting to displace the Palestinian population. Furthermore , during humanitarian aid deliveries, Israeli military fire has been reported, leaving dozens dead and wounded.

On Friday, at least nine people were killed in the southern Gaza Strip due to Israeli attacks, according to the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

The agency, citing medical sources on the ground, said at least four Gazans were killed in a bombing attack on a cell phone charging station in a tented area for displaced people in the town of Khan Yunis.

According to the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry, more than 54,600 Palestinians have died since the Israeli offensive against the enclave began , following the Hamas massacre against Israel on October 7, 2023.

With information from AFP and EFE