Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Tuesday he is open to the creation of a unified Palestinian administration to govern the Gaza Strip, which is run by the militant group, and the West Bank, Arab media reports.
Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address:
We have received numerous initiatives concerning the internal (Palestinian) situation and we are open to the idea of a national government for the West Bank and Gaza.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since winning the 2006 Palestinian elections, which were followed by violent clashes with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.
The question of Gaza’s future governance has been raised repeatedly during the nearly three-month war between Hamas and Israel, which has vowed to defeat the group.
The United States has stressed that Palestinians should be part of any post-war administration, but the future role of the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority remains unclear.
Haniyeh said his group presented its response to Egypt and Qatar regarding proposals for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. He added:
Our view is based on a comprehensive cessation of the aggression against our people, providing relief to them and responding to their just rights.
Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 22,185 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,035 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack. A previous truce freed nearly half of the 250 hostages kidnapped in Israel on 7 October.
