Hamas says ‘main points’ of UN Gaza ceasefire resolution ‘positive’

A senior official of the group emphasizes that it cannot be applied if Israel “does not support it” and accuses Blinken of being “one of the obstacles preventing an agreement”

June 11 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A senior official of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stressed this Tuesday that “the main points” of the United Nations Security Council resolution in support of the ceasefire plan presented by the US president, Joe Biden, are ” positive” and has stressed that it cannot be applied “if the occupation does not support it.”

“The (UN) Security Council resolution, despite its shortcomings, supports a permanent cessation of fighting and the withdrawal of the occupation of the Gaza Strip,” said Osama Hamdan. “The resolution contains points that we do not accept, but the main ones are positive,” he added, as reported by the Palestinian newspaper ‘Filastin’, linked to the Islamist group.

Thus, he maintained that “the movement has given a positive response to all the ideas proposed for a ceasefire”, before reiterating Hamas’ request for “a permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. “We are willing to reach a fair agreement for the exchange of prisoners,” said Hamdan, who said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “is one of the obstacles preventing an agreement.”

“It only acts in line with what Israel wants,” criticized Hamdan, who pointed out that “the problem derives from the American position, but more specifically from Blinken’s.” “All obstruction actions have been carried out by Israel with American approval,” he explained, before adding that “attempts to pressure the mediators will not change Hamas’s position.”

Hamas already stated late on Monday that it welcomed the UN Security Council resolution and asked to negotiate with Israel on the principles included in the text. “We confirm our willingness to work with our brothers, the interlocutors, to negotiate indirectly how to apply these principles that coincide with the demands of our people and the resistance,” he said.

The resolution was approved by the Security Council by 14 favorable votes and Russia’s abstention. The proposal includes a “total and complete ceasefire”, the release of hostages held by Palestinian militias, the handover of the bodies of hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

The plan is divided into three phases, in which the first proposes the exchange of hostages for prisoners and a short-term ceasefire. The second provides for a “permanent cessation of hostilities” and the complete withdrawal of Israeli military forces from Gaza, according to the text of the resolution, presented by the United States. The third and final phase includes a multi-year reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip.