Rabat – Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading falsehoods during his address to the US Congress last night, describing his remarks about efforts to return captives to Israel as “pure lies.” The Palestinian group condemned the speech, asserting that it was intended to mislead Israeli, American, and global public opinion.
Hamas spokesperson described Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress as an opportunity for the Israeli leader to “polish his image” and criticized the international community for not holding him accountable, Al Jazeera reported.
“It would have been better to arrest Netanyahu as a war criminal and hand him over to the International Criminal Court instead of giving him a chance to talk before the US Congress,” the statement read. The ICC has previously sought an arrest warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza.
The group also accused Israel of conducting a “brutal war aimed at exterminating our Palestinian people in Gaza,” stressing that international laws, norms, and humanitarian treaties designed to protect civilians were being violated in unprecedented ways.
Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was marked by his pledge to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and his denunciation of American critics of the war in Gaza as “idiots.”
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotted the speech, and thousands of protesters gathered outside the Capitol to condemn the war and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
Hamas further accused Netanyahu of thwarting efforts to end the war and reach a deal to release hostages, despite mediation attempts by Egypt and Qatar. “He [Netanyahu] is the one who thwarted all efforts to end the war and reach a deal to release hostages,” the statement added.
The Biden administration had apparently hoped Netanyahu’s visit would facilitate progress in negotiations to end the war, but the speech appeared to exacerbate tensions both domestically and internationally.
