Hamas won’t allow Israel or its supporters to interfere in Gaza’s future

Hamas has categorically rejected attempts by Israel and its supporters to interfere in the future of the Gaza Strip, saying the administration of the besieged enclave is a national matter, Quds Press reported.

In a statement issued yesterday, Hamas said: “The Palestinian factions affirm their unified national position that there would be no agreement or exchange of prisoners without a comprehensive cessation of the aggression against our people in Gaza.”

It also announced its full support for the efforts made to provide relief to the Palestinian people and alleviate their suffering, expressing its readiness to cooperate and partner with the relevant government agencies and institutions, “within the framework of strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinians and protecting the internal front from the Israeli occupation’s plans.”

For his part, the head of Hamas’s political bureau abroad, Sami Abu Zuhri, accused the United States of working to prevent other countries from filing lawsuits against Israel, similar to the genocide case filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The court yesterday began hearings in the lawsuit brought by South Africa against Israel on charges of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Abu Zuhri said the Palestinians hope the court will issue an order to stop the war, stressing that “what is happening in Gaza is a real, unprecedented war of genocide, carried out by the Israeli occupation with the support and partnership of Western countries.”

More than 23,000 Palestinian have been killed in Israel’s relentless bombing campaign in Gaza since 7 October. While 1.9 million  Palestinians – 85 per cent of the Strip’s residents – have been forcibly displaced and have once again become refugees.

READ: Gaza: 10,000 children killed in nearly 100 days of war