Killing of Hamas leader intended to prolong Gaza conflict, Abbas tells RIA news agency

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in Berlin, Germany, August 16, 2022. (REUTERS)
Short Url
Updated 06 August 2024
Follow

Killing of Hamas leader intended to prolong Gaza conflict, Abbas tells RIA news agency

  • Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fueled concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war
  • “We consider this a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics,” Abbas said in remarks published in Russian by the RIA agency

RAMALLAH: The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the conflict in Gaza and will complicate talks on resolving the crisis, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Russia’s RIA state news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope,” RIA cited Abbas as saying.
“It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.”
Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that drew threats of revenge on Israel and fueled concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.
“We consider this a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics,” Abbas said in remarks published in Russian by the RIA agency.
“The Israeli occupation authorities are required to abandon their ambitions and stop their aggressive actions against our people and our cause, to comply with international law and implement the Arab Peace Initiative, as well as an immediate and lasting ceasefire and withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”

 

 


US, Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye urge restraint in Gaza after Miami talks

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

US, Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye urge restraint in Gaza after Miami talks

  • Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire

MIAMI: The US was joined Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami.

Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.

“We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements,” said a statement posted by Witkoff on X.

Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.

Gaza’s civil defense said six people were killed Friday in Israeli shelling of a shelter. That brought to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect.

Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the truce, with the military reporting of its three soldiers killed in the territory since October.

Saturday’s statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

It called for “the near-term establishment and operationalization” of a transitional administration which is due to happen in the second phase of the agreement, and said consultations would continue in the coming weeks over its implementation.

Under the deal’s terms, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilization force is to be deployed.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilization force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.