TEHRAN – The head of Hamas’s Prisoners and Martyrs Office has rejected any plans to establish international governance in Gaza.

Zaher Jabarin emphasized that Hamas remains committed to implementing the agreement related to Gaza but firmly opposes any attempt to place the Palestinian people under “international custodianship.” He stressed that “the time has come to grant our people their right to self-determination and to build their independent state.”

In a televised address, Jabarin declared that the Palestinian resistance is “writing a glorious page in history” through the prisoner exchange deal and the cessation of a genocidal war. He said this achievement symbolizes “freedom, dignity, and pride in the history of our people’s struggle.”

Jabarin praised the “Al-Aqsa Flood” prisoner exchange deal, which he said “broke the chains of more than 4,000 prisoners (in two years), including over 500 serving life sentences.” He added that “the freedom of the remaining prisoners is a responsibility on our shoulders, and we are committed to continuing efforts to free them.”

The senior Hamas official warned that “the continued detention of prisoners in the occupation’s prisons will keep the flame of conflict burning.” He asserted that the occupation regime’s ongoing attempts to annex land, expand settlements in the occupied West Bank, and Judaize al-Quds (Jerusalem) “will make the powder keg in the region ready to explode.”

Jabarin stated that the prisoner exchange deal “will be remembered as one of the greatest milestones in our people’s historical struggle,” congratulating the freed Palestinian prisoners whose liberty “came sealed with the blood of the martyrs.” 

He stressed that the deal represents “a covenant and a pledge to continue the path of resistance and freedom.”

Addressing the Israeli occupation regime, Jabarin affirmed that “the national rights of the Palestinians are not open to bargaining,” adding that “the Palestinian state is not a favor from anyone but a legitimate right of our people.”

Responding to threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to kill Hamas resistance fighters, Jabarin stated that “assassination attempts will not frighten us or break our will. We are ready to pay the price for the freedom of our people and their legitimate rights.”

He saluted Gaza and its people, saying, “Peace be upon Gaza for its patience and steadfastness; peace be upon the people of Gaza who refuse to surrender. Gaza will remain defiant, cherishing life and singing the hymns of freedom and victory.”

Describing Gaza as “the graveyard of invaders and the destination of the free,” he added, “We all owe it a rightful debt. Today, the pledge of the martyred leaders is being carried by new leaders, and the legacy of martyr Yahya Sinwar and others continues with new commanders.”

The Hamas official also called for arrest of the Israeli regime’s war criminals, foremost among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that “the world today is facing a real test.”

Jabarin further underlined that anyone who seeks peace in the region must begin by implementing the unified international stance on establishing the Palestinian state and securing the release of Palestinian prisoners still held in the Israeli regime’s jails.

Finally, he warned against resuming normalization by Arab and Muslim states with the occupation regime at the expense of Palestinian rights, urging Arab and Islamic nations to seize the historic opportunity created by the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle to advance the establishment of the Palestinian state.

The Hamas official concluded by noting that the battle “did not end with the sound of guns” but continues through its core principles: national rights, defense of the land, freedom for prisoners, and protection of the holy sites.