Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said on Thursday, January 25, 2024, that the movement will adhere to any ceasefire decision issued by the International Court of Justice “as long as Israel adheres to that,” according to what he stated in a press conference.

Hamdan also considered that "Washington's repeated call for the occupation to protect civilians, relief personnel and facilities of humanitarian organizations in Gaza since the beginning of the aggression is nothing but empty and cheap media propaganda amid the continued support and partnership for the Israeli occupation and its supply of weapons."

On the other hand, the leader of the Hamas movement stressed that "the only chance for the soldiers captured by the resistance to return alive to their families will not be until after a comprehensive cessation of the aggression against our people."

Regarding the expected decision to be issued by the International Court of Justice (based in The Hague) on Friday, regarding the “genocide” case filed by South Africa against Israel, Hamdan said, “Hamas will adhere to any ceasefire decision issued by the court as long as the enemy adheres to that.”

The Hamas leader added: “The continuous attacks by Netanyahu (the Israeli Prime Minister) and his government on our Arab countries, the latest of which is our sister Qatar, expresses bankruptcy and political failure in the face of the torrent of international criticism.”

Earlier Thursday, the far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, criticized Qatar, which is mediating indirect negotiations between Tel Aviv and Hamas for the exchange of prisoners and the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza since last October 7.

Smotrich's criticism comes in response to a tweet by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari in which he said, "Netanyahu is obstructing Qatar's mediation efforts between Tel Aviv and the Hamas movement, if his statements regarding the efforts made by Doha are correct," according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.

In a leaked recording broadcast by Hebrew Channel 12 on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that he did not thank Qatar publicly because it “did not exert more pressure on Hamas,” and he criticized Qatari-American relations, calling for pressure on Doha.

On Tuesday, Al-Ansari confirmed that mediation efforts between the Palestinians and Israel “are still underway to reach a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners,” while mediation and Qatari efforts continue to ensure the entry of aid and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

Regarding Egypt, Hamdan praised its position “rejecting any Israeli plans to occupy the Philadelphia axis (the border with the Gaza Strip) and to displace our people from the Strip.”

Diaa Rashwan, head of the official Egyptian Information Service, said in a statement, “Any Israeli move towards occupying the Philadelphia or Salah al-Din Corridor in the Gaza Strip will lead to a serious and serious threat to Egyptian-Israeli relations, and Israel’s persistence in marketing these lies is an attempt to create legitimacy for its endeavor.” To occupy the Philadelphia Pass or the Saladin Pass.”

The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also reported that Israeli officials informed Egypt that they are planning to carry out a military operation in the Philadelphia axis area, which is the border area between the Gaza Strip and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula.