Hezbollah leader meets Hamas delegation to discuss ceasefire talks with Israel

5 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The leader of the Shiite militia party Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, met this Friday with a delegation from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) headed by the group’s number two in the Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Haya, to discuss the conflict with Israel and the process of indirect talks with the Israeli government with a view to a possible ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave.

According to information gathered by the Hezbollah-linked Al Manar television channel, the meeting discussed “the latest political and security developments in Palestine in general, and in Gaza in particular,” as well as “the situation on the support fronts in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq,” in reference to attacks against Israel by Hezbollah, the Houthis and pro-Iranian militias, respectively.

Nasrallah and the Hamas delegation also discussed “ongoing negotiations” and “proposals to end the treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” while reiterating “coordination at all levels” to “achieve all desired objectives” within the framework of the conflict.

The Israeli army launched a bloody offensive against the Strip following attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian factions on October 7, which left some 1,200 dead and nearly 240 kidnapped. Gaza authorities have reported more than 38,000 dead, in addition to more than 550 Palestinians killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in operations by Israeli forces or in attacks by settlers.

Just a day after the attacks and the start of the offensive, Hezbollah began a wave of rocket, missile and drone attacks against northern Israel from Lebanon, sparking ongoing clashes amid concerns about the potential spread of a full-scale conflict across the Middle East region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warned that the Israeli army “is prepared for a very powerful action” on the border with Lebanon, while the army itself claims to have a plan ready for this. For his part, Hezbollah’s number two, Naim Qassem, said that an expansion of the conflict would lead to “devastation and destruction” in Israel.

Faced with this situation, Kamal Kharrazi, one of the advisers of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Tuesday that Tehran will support Hezbollah “with all means” in the event that the Israeli army launches a large-scale offensive against the group in Lebanon, while Hezbollah has made the end of its attacks conditional on Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.