Hamas says it responded to requests to discuss new ceasefire proposals

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
30 Oct 2024 00:53

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri says the movement has expressed openness to any agreements or ideas that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, albeit it remains by its conditions for the ceasefire.

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Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri giving a statement.

Hamas has responded to requests from mediators to discuss new proposals regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the movement's spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri confirmed on Tuesday.

He added that several meetings have already occurred on this matter, with more scheduled to follow.

In a press conference, where he read a statement issued by the movement, Abu Zuhri indicated that the Hamas delegation has expressed openness to any agreements or ideas that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, establish a permanent ceasefire, lead to the withdrawal of occupation forces from the entire Strip, lift the blockade, provide relief and support, facilitate reconstruction, and achieve a serious prisoner exchange deal.

Northern Gaza facing unprecedented genocide

Touching on the dire conditions in northern Gaza, the Hamas official underscored that people in the area are facing a genocide the likes of which was unseen in modern history, for over three consecutive weeks.

He noted that this comes while US and Western support for the Israeli occupation continues and amid "a state of official Arab and Islamic betrayal that has reached a level of inability to halt the aggression and deliver food and medical aid, or break the blockade on Gaza to save its people.”

While hailing the Palestinian Resistance and all Resistance forces in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and elsewhere, he underlined that “it is no longer acceptable for the leaders of the Arab and Islamic nations and their parties to limit themselves to the language of condemnation and statements of outrage, which the occupation has come to disregard and which have no effect in deterring it or stopping its crimes.”

In this context, Abu Zuhri called on the leaders of the Arab and Islamic nations to "announce a historic decision commensurate with the justice of the Palestinian cause, the legitimacy of the Palestinian people's rights, and the magnitude of their sacrifices and suffering."

This announcement should rise to these responsibilities and political, humanitarian, and ethical roles, transcending the pressures and dictates of the US administration, the Palestinian official stressed.

The Hamas official urged for the immediate lifting of the Israeli blockade on northern Gaza and the provision of food, medical supplies, and fuel to save the lives of hundreds of thousands and treat the tens of thousands of displaced persons and injured individuals.

Additionally, he called for effective pressure on the supporters of the Israeli occupation to halt its aggression, urging normalizing countries to immediately cut their ties with the occupation entity.

"It is unreasonable for many foreign nations to take such steps while some of our Arab nations insist on maintaining their relations and normalization with the occupation," Abu Zuhri added.

UNRWA ban is an extension of war against Palestinian people

Furthermore, the Hamas official addressed the Israeli Knesset's bill to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, asserting that the decision represents an extension of the Israeli war against the Palestinian people, their land, rights, and cause, as well as a blatant violation of all international charters and laws.

The latest Israeli decision necessitates immediate action from the international community, a firm stance to criminalize it, and efforts to "expel the occupying entity from UN institutions and impose sanctions on it," he emphasized.

Smotrich’s statements are an extension of fascist Israeli policy

Regarding the provocative statements of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for the expansion of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land, Abu Zuhri affirmed that their renewal is "an extension of the fascist, aggressive policy" of the occupation government against the Palestinian people and their land.

He warned that these statements "reveal the dangerous nature of this racist policy on the security and stability of the region," which requires all countries to reject them and work by all means to stop the crimes of the occupation.

Comprehensive confrontation in support of Gaza and Lebanon

Abu Zuhri also called on all forces of the Arab and Islamic nations to engage in a comprehensive confrontation with the Israeli entity in support of Gaza and Lebanon and their resistance, which would send a message to the Israeli occupation and its backers that the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples are not alone in the battlefield.

The Palestinian official urged the masses of both nations to escalate their popular mobilization by staging massive and continuous demonstrations and rallies in all capitals and public squares.

He also called for besieging the embassies of the Israeli occupation entity, the United States, and the Western countries supporting the occupation.

Elsewhere, the Hamas official addressed the world "who hears our call, sees the suffering of our people and their pain, and witnesses the massacres and terror of the occupation," saying, "Our will shall not be broken, and our people will remain steadfast in their land, clinging to their rights, defending their national constants and sanctities, regardless of the sacrifices."