Hamas expresses readiness for dialogue with the US, signaling a potential shift in international engagement following the Gaza ceasefire.
A senior official in the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas has announced the group’s readiness to begin dialogue with the United States, just hours after the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect.
This rare move by Hamas, which has long criticized Washington for its unwavering support for Israel, aims to expand the group’s international relations and improve its global image.
Mousa Abu Marzouk said in a phone interview on Sunday with The New York Times: “We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understandings on everything,”
The top Hamas official added that Hamas is willing to host an envoy from US President Donald Trump’s administration in Gaza and will even provide protection if necessary.
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“He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties, and not only one party,” he said.
Abu Marzouk noted that such dialogue could help Washington understand the feelings and aspirations of Palestinians, potentially leading to a more balanced US position that reflects the interests of all parties rather than favoring one side.
NBC News reported on Saturday that Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, is considering a visit to Gaza to help sustain the ceasefire, according to a member of Trump’s transition team familiar with the truce process.
It remains unclear, according to The New York Times, whether Abu Marzouk’s statements reflect the position of all senior Hamas leaders, including Mohammed Sinwar and Ezzedine Haddad, two prominent military commanders in Gaza.
Trump’s Role
Abu Marzouk praised the current US president, whose role was decisive in achieving the ceasefire.
“If not for President Trump, his insistence on ending the war, and his dispatching of a decisive representative, the deal wouldn’t have happened,” Abu Marzouk reportedly said, referring to Witkoff.
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Hamas is likely to face the need to make concessions to secure the international aid required for Gaza’s reconstruction. While the group has expressed a willingness to relinquish its civilian governance of Gaza, it refuses to dismantle its military wing, according to the newspaper.
The United States has classified Hamas as a “terrorist organization” since 1997, a designation shared by other Western countries. However, in recent years, Hamas has made efforts to improve its relations with Western governments, including issuing a political document in 2017 that outlined more moderate positions compared to its founding charter.
While the document indicated a willingness to accept a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders as a “national consensus formula,” it maintained a refusal to recognize Israel.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
