Hamas: We expect nothing from UN envoy's visit to Gaza

Hamas leader Yahya Moussa said the group does not expect anything from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s visit into the Gaza Strip today.

In an interview with Al-Quds Net, Moussa said: “Hamas does not expect anything from an employee of the United States and the Great Powers.”

“Over the years, the UN has not been a neutral party in conflict management (between Arabs and Israelis). We know what the UN can do and what the official will say, we do not expect much,” he said.

However, Moussa said: “We hope that the visit of UN Secretary-General to the Gaza Strip will bring a change in the attitudes of the international organisation, to review Israel following the massacres and aggression it committed against Gaza and its targeting of civilians… and not condemn the victims or the Palestinian resistance.”

Ban Ki-moon was due to arrive in Gaza this morning following a short visit to Ramallah. He is due to meet officials from the national unity government and visit UNRWA school which were subjected to Israeli shelling during Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” in July and August, which killed and wounded thousands of Palestinian civilians.

Yesterday, Ban met Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.