Senior Hamas official says group could step away from governing post-war Gaza, willing to enter talks with US on issue

Senior Hamas politburo official Moussa Abu Marzouk tells the Saudi Al Arabiya news outlet that the terror group is not necessarily seeking to govern the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the war it started with Israel on October 7, 2023.

He says that Hamas understands that, going forward, the governing body in the Strip will require both regional and international backing, including the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Last month, Hamas and the PA’s Fatah party agreed to create a committee to jointly administer postwar Gaza.

A draft proposal of the plan acquired by AFP showed that the committee would be comprised of 10-15 nonpartisan figures with authority on matters related to the economy, education, health, humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

It is unlikely that Israel would agree to the deal, as it has rejected any role for Hamas in Gaza, and has said it does not trust Abbas’s PA to run the enclave.

Dismissing Jerusalem’s say in the matter, Abu Marzouk tells Al Arabiya that Hamas leadership is “open to dialogue with all parties besides Israel” when it comes to formulating a plan for future control of the Gaza Strip.

He says that the group would be willing to negotiate the makeup of the Strip’s government with the US, as it believes that President Donald Trump “is a serious president” in light of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that he and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff helped finalize.

He nevertheless criticizes Trump for recent comments suggesting that the enclave should be cleared out and its population sent to Jordan and Egypt.

“No Palestinian or Arab will accept Trump’s idea of displacement,” he warns. “it will not succeed.”

Source » timesofisrael.com