Hamas: The Cairo talks did not mention the Aqaba summit

The Hamas movement said that during the recent talks with the head of the movement’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, Egypt did not mention the Aqaba security summit held in Jordan yesterday.

In a statement to Anadolu news agency, Musa Abu Marzouk, a member of the Hamas political bureau, said: “During the recent talks in Cairo the the Egyptians did not discuss the Aqaba security summit.”

Abu Marzouk added: “The last meeting with Egyptian officials was in light of the visit of the US Secretary of State [Antony Blinken] to the region, who wanted to reduce the intensity of escalation.”

“The Egyptians know that the occupation is the cause of the escalation, and that the Palestinians are responding to the Israeli attacks.”

He explained that the Egyptians “did not ask the movement’s delegation to maintain calm.”

On 8 February, Haniyeh, accompanied by a delegation from the movement, visited Cairo, during which he met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Abbas Kamel, and discussed developments in the Palestinian cause, according to a previous statement by Hamas.

Hamas chief: ‘Palestinians will not allow abortion of escalating Intifada’

In this context, Abu Marzouk said that calm in the West Bank and Gaza Strip could be achieved “after the complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.”

The Hamas leader called on the international community to “work to end the occupation in order to restore calm.”

Earlier Sunday, the Palestinian and Israeli sides agreed at the Aqaba security meeting, in the presence of representatives from the US, Jordan and Egypt, to stop unilateral measures for a specific number of months and to reduce escalation.

A statement released after the summit said that “the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority affirmed their joint readiness and commitment to immediate action to stop unilateral measures for 3-6 months.”

The statement also noted that stopping unilateral measures includes an Israeli commitment to stop discussing the establishment of any new settlement units for four months, and to stop approving any new settlement outposts for six months.