Hamas open to halting hostilities with Israel, Russia says
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has ruled out a cease-fire for now.
A senior Hamas political official said the group is willing to halt its attacks on Israel if Israel does the same for Gaza, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Hamas is ready to “stop any military actions against Israel on a reciprocal basis” as long as international pressure is mustered to prevent future Israeli “military actions in the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and East Jerusalem,” Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas’ political wing, told Russia’s deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov today, according to the Russian ministry’s statement.
Marzouk also conditioned Hamas’ willingness to end the hostilities on Israel’s cessation of “unlawful measures against its indigenous Arab inhabitants.” The call was requested by the Palestinian side, the statement read. The discussion was first reported by The Times of Israel.
Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday that “Israel is not preparing for a cease-fire” and that there is no end in sight for the continued strikes on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in Gaza.
