Hamas: Israel is trying to fabricate “Fake Victory” in Rafah to cover its failure against al-Qassam Brigades

The spokesperson for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Hazem Qassem, said Thursday that Israel has not achieved any victory in two years of fighting against al-Qassam Brigades, adding that its current actions in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, aim solely to extract an illusionary image of success.

Speaking to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Qassem said the Palestinian people have fought long battles against Israel and that the resistance does not surrender—an unwavering, established position.

He added that the crisis surrounding the Qassam fighters in Rafah is “manufactured” by Israel as part of an attempt to evade the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh.

The spokesman noted that mediators have been working to reach solutions and that Hamas engaged positively with all proposals. Multiple drafts to resolve the crisis were agreed upon, he said, but Israel backed out at the last moment due to internal political calculations tied to coalition dynamics and pressure from far-right factions in the Israeli government.

Qassem emphasized that Hamas remains in contact with the mediators, but Israel “has no interest in reaching any arrangements regarding these fighters and wants to keep killing them to market a fake victory to its public.”

He added that the movement has been open to discussing the situation of the besieged fighters in every political meeting with regional leaders and mediators, but it has consistently faced Israel’s intransigent position.