(14 Dec 2023)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut, Lebanon - 14 December 2023
1. Wide of presser with Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas' political bureau walking in
2. Flags
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas' political bureau:
"There will be no negotiations or hostages return, until there is a complete cessation of aggression, and until there is compliance with the terms of the resistance in the hostage exchange deal. The American administration's continuous urging of the Nazi occupation army to reduce casualties among Palestinian civilians is a blatant disregard for the blood of our people. Every drop of blood shed by a child or a baby to a woman or a man, big or small, is the responsibility of the occupation and the American administration."
4. Close up on stand reading (Arabic): "The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas" and under it "Press Conference"
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas' political bureau:
"Even in President Biden's speech when he talked about an indiscriminate bombing. This is an acknowledgement that the enemy is bombing indiscriminately. Today, there was a report issued by the US State Department on the dropping of twenty-nine thousand bombs on the Gaza Strip, claiming that some of them were dumb bombs. This is an acknowledgement of indiscriminate bombing. This acknowledgement of this magnitude of the bombing of the Gaza Strip confirms that what is happening in Gaza is a war crime. I think that the American administration is now aware that Netanyahu is dragging it into a major predicament in order to save himself from his corruption and mismanagement."
6. Flags
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Osama Hamdan, member of Hamas' political bureau:
"Those tunnels were built by well-trained and educated engineers and they have considered any kind of attacks may have been by the Israelis, including pumping water. Thank you for asking that. But those tunnels are part of the resistance. And when you build those tunnels as a part of resistance, you have to consider all the consequences and all the expected attacks from the occupation. I can't say that there is no threat, but I can confirm that the threat is at the minimum and our fighters, freedom fighters will deal with that in the way which they can avoid the negative consequences.
8. Wide of presser with Hamdan leaving
STORYLINE:
A senior official with the militant Palestinian group Hamas played down Thursday Israel's attempts to flood the group's tunnels in Gaza saying when militants built them they took all considerations of what could happen.
Osama Hamdan's comments in Beirut came two days after a U.S. official confirmed that Israel has begun flooding Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
Israelis said they are testing the targeted flooding of tunnels on a limited basis and are exploring the idea as one of a range of options to degrade the tunnel network.
Hamdan said that the tunnels were built by well-trained engineers who have taken into consideration all possible attacks by Israel "even pumping water."
Hamdan said in English: "I can't say there is no threat but I can confirm that the threat is at the minimum and our freedom fighters will deal with that in a way which they can avoid the negative consequences."
He did not elaborate.
Speaking about President Joe Biden's warning Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza, Hamdan said the statements are "an American acknowledgment that what is happening is a war crime."
AP video shot by Fadi Tawil
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