Hamas official: ‘No one accepts negotiating under fire’
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas representative, tells Al Jazeera a report about an Egyptian-led plan for a wide-ranging ceasefire with Israel is not accurate.
“I have to say what you are talking about comes from media sources. There are still ideas being talked about. Our clear position is there will be no talks about prisoner exchanges without a complete ceasefire and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza,” he said.
“No one accepts negotiating under fire – not Hamas, not anyone else. If anyone seeks to find a solution for the Palestinians, they have to start with stopping the massacre. This is the first step to get any kind of arrangement.”
Hamdan also dismissed suggestions that “a panel of Palestinian experts” could eventually govern Gaza until elections could be held to elect leaders in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories.
“Who will lead the Palestinians is an internal Palestinian issue. The people must elect their own leadership. No one has a right to dictate, not the Americans, Israelis or anyone else,” he said.
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