Senior Hamas leader welcomes international forces only ‘to liberate Palestine’

By Anadolu staff

BEIRUT (AA) – A senior Hamas leader said his movement will welcome the deployment of post-war international forces to the Gaza Strip to liberate Palestine, but rejected international forces as an alternative to “Zionist occupation.”

In an interview with Anadolu, Osama Hamdan said: “If the international forces want to liberate Palestine and end the occupation, they are welcome.”

Responding to a question about the Palestinian resistance group’s stance on post-war international forces in the Gaza Strip, including ones from the Arab states, he said if these forces come in place of occupation (forces), the answer is no. “Who said the Palestinians want to replace the Zionist occupation with another occupation?”

A US proposal for international forces to come to Gaza after the Israeli war has been under discussion in the media in recent weeks.

On Nov. 17, the official Israeli broadcasting authority reported that White House Middle East envoy Brett McGurk met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Among other matters, they discussed the deployment of international forces in Gaza following the end of the war.

- Palestinian leadership is not exclusive to anyone

“The Palestinian leadership is not exclusive to anyone and should not be exclusive to anyone,” said Hamdan.

“Hamas will never be the one to monopolize Palestinian leadership. On the contrary, since its inception in 1988, Hamas has presented numerous initiatives, the first of which was in 1988, ensuring that Palestinian leadership is elected through free and direct elections in the occupied Palestinian territories and abroad,” he said.

"This remains our position, and it was reached through an agreement among all Palestinian factions in 2017, which included conducting elections for the National Council, the Legislative Council, and the Presidency. This position was reaffirmed in another agreement in 2021, during which dates were set for these elections."

Hamdan pointed out that “the elections were stalled due to Israeli obstinacy,” referring to Israel's refusal to conduct legislative and presidential elections in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

In October 2017, Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo, stipulating that the National Unity Government would oversee legislative and presidential elections.

The agreement also outlined the conduct of elections for the Palestinian National Council abroad. However, it could not be implemented due to subsequent disagreements between the two factions.

- Future of Gaza Strip

Regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and whether it can be defined beyond the scope of Hamas, he said: "Everyone who talks about Gaza without Hamas jumps to the conclusion that Israel succeeds in its military adventure. We say that Israel will not succeed, and the signs of its failure in this adventure are evident."

"The only achievement the Israelis have made is the killing of more than 20,000 citizens, most of them women and children. This is not a success. The real success so far is the resilient people and the effective resistance against the occupation," he said.

Hamdan emphasized that “the future of Gaza and all of Palestine is shaped by the Palestinian people. Therefore, we do not need guardianship, and we do not accept guardianship from anyone, whether from Hamas or other Palestinians.”

- Al-Aqsa Flood: Palestinian operation

Regarding a statement by a spokesperson for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Ramadan Sharif, which Tehran retracted, that the “Al-Aqsa operation” was in response to the assassination of the former commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, Hamdan said: "It is a Palestinian operation in planning, preparation, execution and confrontation with the enemy. The leader of the Iranian revolution announced his support for it as a step towards the liberation of Palestine."

"The statement issued by the spokesperson of the Revolutionary Guard was immediately commented on and clarified by the Guard's commander, who affirmed the position of the Iranian leader.

"The Iranian position supports our resistance and our people. We believe that there was a statement with a flaw that was corrected. The Iranian position is firm and clear for us," he said.

Hamdan pointed out that "this correction in no way means overlooking the role played by the Revolutionary Guard, especially Qasem Soleimani, in supporting the resistance in Palestine, not only Hamas but all of the resistance."

- War cessation initiatives

Regarding negotiations for a cease-fire in the Israeli assault on Gaza, Hamdan stated: "We received some initiatives from mediators, including our brothers in Qatar and Egypt. Other parties also contacted us and discussed some initiatives."

"We have a clear and specific stance, that the root cause of the problem is the Israeli aggression on Gaza, not the issue of prisoners,” he said. "The issue of prisoners is a natural outcome of this aggression. Therefore, we cannot delve into the details before addressing the root cause of the matter, which is stopping the aggression against our people. If the aggression stops, relief enters, and the people achieve what they want in terms of lifting the blockade, then talking about the prisoners becomes natural."

The Hamas leader noted that "everyone knows that we want a deal for the exchange of prisoners, and this is not a secret. However, this exchange cannot happen while the aggression is ongoing."

Hamdan refused to discuss the details of the initiatives “because what I say today may change tomorrow due to discussions. When we reach a deal, it will be announced."

"The general framework is to stop the aggression, provide relief, open crossings, and negotiate the issue of prisoners. This is the natural sequence," he said.

- Relationship with Hezbollah

Regarding the relationship with the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, and its role in the war, Hamdan considered it a "good relationship," adding: "We will not put ourselves in a position to evaluate what Hezbollah is doing."

"It is good that Hezbollah is trying to extend a helping hand and resist from southern Lebanon, offering martyrs while its homes, families, and supporters are subjected to daily shelling by the occupation forces."

The Hamas leader emphasized that his group "does not dictate what is required of anyone and what they should do.”

"We ask everyone to do what they can and what they see fit," he added.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala