Hamas Claims It’s Ready for Gaza Cease-Fire After Hezbollah’s Deal With Israel
Emily Crane New York Post
Hamas said Wednesday it was open to efforts to secure a deal in Gaza after a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement went into effect on Wednesday. (photo: AP)
The terror group said it was open to efforts to bring an end to its 13-month war with the Jewish state in the Palestinian territory as senior officials hailed the Israel-Hezbollah agreement.
“We are committed to cooperating with any effort to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and we are interested in ending the aggression against our people,” Hamas said in a statement before reiterating its outstanding conditions.
Hamas said any such truce must end the war, pull Israeli forces out of Gaza, return displaced Gazans to their homes and broker a hostages-for-prisoners swap deal.
Separately, Hamas senior official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group — which started the war by murdering innocent Israelis in its horrific Oct. 7 incursion — awaited a deal while still blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not having buckled earlier.
“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,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
“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,” Abu Zuhri said.
“The problem was always with Netanyahu who has always escaped from reaching an agreement.”
Netanyahu, for his part, has repeatedly accused Hamas of foiling the efforts.
While Hamas has said a cease-fire would be pinned on the war ending and a hostage swap, Netanyahu has said the war can only end after the terror group is eradicated entirely.
It comes after President Biden said Tuesday that his administration was still pushing for a cease-fire in Gaza after the US helped broker the Israel-Hezbollah agreement.
“Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza,” the outgoing president said.
“Now Hamas has a choice to make. Their only way out is to release hostages, including American citizens, which they hold and in the process bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief.”
