Field and negotiations are 2 parallel lines, says Hamas’ Haniyeh

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - The leader of Hamas said on Saturday that the field and negotiations are two parallel lines, and there is an opportunity to reach an agreement if Netanyahu's government “abandons its stubbornness.”

“The field and negotiations are two parallel lines, with the movement in negotiations based on the greatness of resilience and the brilliance of resistance, striving with all strength to end the aggressive war against our people,” said Ismail Haniyeh on Telegram.

About reaching an agreement with Israel, Haniyeh said “the opportunity is available to reach a multi-stage agreement if the occupying government abandons its stubbornness.”

Hamas’ leader further added that US President Joe Biden's stance “is changing in rhetoric and is subject to testing in implementation,” adding: “The American administration is required to take many actions to stop the genocide and starvation policy inflicted upon our people in Gaza and the North.”

On the situation in the West Bank, Haniyeh emphasized that it "is being subjected to persecution in order to distract it from supporting Gaza and to deplete the strategic reservoir represented by the resistance project and the political constants of our cause. However, I say that all this persecution and repression will not succeed, and the winds will scatter it.”

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas in which nearly 1,200 people were killed.

At least 31,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,134 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza as a result of the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.