Hamas said yesterday that it will not be part of any administrative arrangements for the future of the Gaza Strip, but on the condition that this is agreed upon nationally.
The movement’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem, added in a statement to Anadolu news agency: “Any arrangements for Gaza’s future after the [Israeli] aggression must be based on national consensus, and we will facilitate this.”
“It is not necessary for Hamas to be part of the administrative arrangements in Gaza. It is not interested in that and does not want to be in these arrangements at all,” he added.
Qassem stressed the importance of these administrative arrangements being made “with internal national consensus,” adding, “Hamas will not allow any external force to interfere.”
The Hamas spokesman said these arrangements must lead to “launching a serious and genuine reconstruction process to save our people in Gaza from the catastrophe they have endured” due to Israel’s genocidal war.
“Hamas will not be an obstacle to any arrangements achieved through national consensus that initiate reconstruction in Gaza,” he stressed, after the massive destruction caused by the Israeli occupation army.
Last February, Qassem said that his movement showed the utmost flexibility in formulating political and administrative approaches to manage the Gaza Strip after the genocidal war.
He added that among those approaches is the agreement to “form a national consensus government, as well as our full acceptance of the Egyptian proposal regarding the community support committee” to manage the Gaza Strip.
The US have said they seek to forcibly displace Palestinians from the enclave and create a ‘Riviera’ of the Middle East, following which Palestinians would not be permitted to return. Israel backs the plan.
Hamas has repeatedly expressed its rejection of this, stressing that the Gaza Strip will be managed by Palestinians. While Arab states have rejected efforts to displace Palestinians from their land.
A week ago, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid proposed that Egypt take over the administration of the Gaza Strip for 15 years in exchange for cancelling its foreign debts, but Egypt rejected this, according to the official Egyptian news agency.
READ: Israel criticises Egyptian proposal for Gaza, Hamas welcomes it