Hamas discussed Gaza ceasefire efforts, support in Cairo meetings

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
8 Dec 2024 23:54
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The Palestinian group says its delegation to Cairo discussed with Minister Hassan Mahmoud Rashad efforts to reach a ceasefire and the community support committee in the Gaza Strip.

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Khalil al-Hayya, a high-ranking Hamas official who has represented the Palestinian group in negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, speaks during an interview for The Associated Press, in Istanbul, Turkiye, on April 24, 2024. (AP)

A delegation of the Hamas movement's leadership, headed by Khalil al-Hayya, has departed Cairo after holding a meeting on Sunday with the Egyptian minister of general intelligence, the Palestinian group confirmed.

According to Hamas, the delegation discussed with Minister Hassan Mahmoud Rashad efforts to establish a ceasefire and the community support committee in the Gaza Strip.

The delegation emphasized its commitment to ensuring the success of these efforts and ending the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the group affirmed.

This comes as the Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli war on the Strip has reached 44,708, with 106,050 others wounded.

The Hamas movement had confirmed that it agreed to Egypt's proposal to form a joint committee for governing the Gaza Strip following a series of meetings with representatives from the Fatah movement under Egypt's mediation.

In a statement, Hamas announced that its leadership delegation concluded discussions in Cairo, where they held comprehensive talks with Fatah about establishing a committee to manage the Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, the delegation conveyed the movement's approval of the "proposal presented by our Egyptian brothers regarding the formation of a community support committee through inclusive national mechanisms."

The draft agreement emphasizes the preservation of Palestinian territorial unity based on the 1967 borders. It also stresses the importance of not separating the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian territories, ensuring continued communication between all parties and the Palestinian Authority.

Iran reaffirms support for Hamas, Palestine in Doha meeting

On Saturday, Hamas announced that a delegation from its leadership, headed by the Chairman of the Shura Council and the head of the leadership council, Mohammed Darwish, received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Qatari capital, Doha, for discussions related to the war on Gaza, regional and international developments, and their implications.

Following the meeting, Hamas' leadership council chief stated that the Israeli occupation's acts in Gaza constituted an unbarred genocidal war on the Palestinian people, citing continued starvation, blockage of food and water supply lines, destruction of buildings, homes, and civilian infrastructure, and annihilating all forms of life, particularly in northern Gaza, which has been turned into a "ghost town".

The two also discussed the situation in occupied al-Quds and the West Bank, as well as the state of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, touching on the outcomes of national meetings held in Cairo between delegations from Fatah and Hamas.

As stated in the statement issued by Hamas, Darwish emphasized that "ending the war and aggression is the main focus of any agreement," further clarifying that the Resistance movement is open to any proposals presented by mediators "that serve our people's interests and alleviate their suffering."

Darwish also stressed the importance of "intensifying support for our people in Gaza and thwarting the occupation’s malicious plans, executed through massacres, siege, and starvation."