A fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is still holding since it wasbrokered by Egypt on May 21, but its future depends on Israel’s behavior,said a spokesman for the Palestinian resistance group.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency during a visit to the Tunisian capital, Tunis,Sami Abu Zuhri underlined that his movement will respect the cease-fireagreement as long as Israel respects it.
“If Israel does not comply, it is natural for us to confront it,” said AbuZuhri about the agreement, which brought an end to 11 days of Israelibombardment of the Gaza Strip that claimed the lives of at least 289Palestinians and left a trail of destruction which saw residentialbuildings, health centers, schools and media houses among the civilianstructures targeted.
He noted that what was achieved was “a mutual and simultaneous cease-fireagreement, not a truce,” describing it as “fragile, due to the bloody andcriminal nature of the occupation.”
Israel “does not respect agreements and carries out daily incursions intothe cities of the West Bank, and the threat of displacement of theresidents of Jerusalem is still present,” Abu Zuhri said, adding thecontinuation of such violations makes another round of confrontation likely.
The latest round of violence erupted against the backdrop of tensions overan Israeli court ruling to evict Palestinian families from their homes inthe Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem and policeassaults on worshippers inside the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On May 25, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on a four-day tripto Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan to discuss ways of strengthening thecease-fire among a host of regional issues.
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On Monday, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel was in Gaza for talkswith the Hamas leader in the besieged enclave, Yahya Sinwar, to discuss apossible Hamas-Israel prisoner swap deal.
A day earlier, Kamel met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu andPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks on the Gaza cease-fire andreconstruction of the territory.
Abu Zuhri welcomed Kamel’s visit to Gaza and his shuttle diplomacy, sayingit demonstrates Egypt’s interest in the Palestinian cause and its supportfor the Palestinians after the latest aggression.
The hospitality with which the Egyptian delegation was received in Gaza is”evidence of Hamas’ keenness to build great relations with Cairo,” AbuZuhri noted, adding the visit serves the interests of the people of Gazaand strengthens bilateral relations between Egypt and Gaza. -Anadolu Agency
