Hamas open to political, administrative arrangements in Gaza without its inclusion: Spokesperson

Ahram Online , Sunday 16 Feb 2025

Hamas is ready to explore approaches for political and administrative arrangements in the Gaza Strip, without necessarily being part of them, to eliminate the occupation's pretext to resume the war and also to initiate a real reconstruction process for the strip, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim stated Saturday.

File Photo: Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim (YouTube)

In exclusive statements to the El Hekaya TV talk show, presented by Amr Adib on MBC Masr, Qasim noted: "Hamas has shown significant flexibility in this regard during meetings with Egyptian officials."

Earlier on Saturday, an informed Egyptian source told Al-Qahera News TV channel that Hamas said it would not participate in the administration of the Gaza Strip in the upcoming phase.

Qasim's statements come hours after Israel and Hamas completed swapping the sixth batch of prisoners under the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US, which went into effect on 19 January.

The recent Hamas statements come as the Palestinian group reaffirmed its commitment to abiding by the terms of the ceasefire deal while asking mediators to pressure Israel to halt its violations of the agreement.

Egypt, Jordan, and the Arab League reaffirmed their categorical rejection of the recent US/Israeli proposals for the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip.

In tandem, Egypt is set to announce a comprehensive plan for the immediate reconstruction of the strip without displacing the native population.

Cairo supports empowering the Palestinian Authority to govern a unified Palestinian territory, including Gaza and the West Bank, toward the establishment of an independent State of Palestine as part of a two-state solution.