Hamas ‘appreciates’ Lebanon’s right to reach ceasefire, hopes for a similar deal with Israel
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A man holding a Hezbollah flag in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CAIRO – The Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Nov 27 it “appreciates” Lebanon’s right to reach an agreement that protects its people, and that it is hoping for a similar deal to end the war in Gaza.
A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement came into effect on Nov 27
But international efforts to halt the 13-month-old war between Hamas and Israel
“Hamas appreciates the right of Lebanon and Hezbollah to reach an agreement that protects the people of Lebanon, and we hope that this agreement will pave the way to reaching an agreement that ends the war of genocide against our people in Gaza,” Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.
Hamas issued its own statement, saying it is “committed to cooperating with any effort to reach a ceasefire in Gaza”, and that it is “interested in ending the aggression against our people”.
It added that an agreement must end the war, pull Israeli forces out of Gaza, return displaced Gazans to their homes, and achieve a hostages-for-prisoners swop deal.
Without a similar deal in Gaza, many residents said they felt abandoned.
In the latest violence, Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed 15 people on Nov 27, some of them in a school housing displaced people.
Months of attempts to negotiate a ceasefire have yielded scant progress.
Negotiations are now on hold, with mediator Qatar saying it has told the two warring parties it would suspend its efforts until the sides are prepared to make concessions
Mr Abu Zuhri blamed the failure to reach a ceasefire deal that would end the Gaza war on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly accused Hamas of foiling efforts by negotiators.
“Hamas showed high flexibility to reach an agreement and it is still committed to that position and is interested in reaching an agreement that ends the war in Gaza,” he said.
“The problem was always with Netanyahu, who has always escaped from reaching an agreement,” he added.
Hamas wants an agreement that ends the war in Gaza and sees the release of Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as Palestinians jailed by Israel, while Mr Netanyahu has said the war can end only after Hamas is eradicated. REUTERS
