Hamas Banks Becomes A Ceasefire Barrier In The Gaza Strip

Illustration of the Palestinian flag. (Wikimedia Commons/Joi Ito)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas on Tuesday welcomed the results of an international conference on the two-state solution in New York, United States as a step forward towards the rights of the Palestinian State.

On the other hand, Hamas firmly dismissed US President Donald Trump's accusations of blocking a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave.

"Hamas was never a barrier to reaching a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The US government, mediators, and the rest of the world know war criminals (Israelian Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is the only party that is blocking all attempts to reach an agreement," Hamas said in a statement. a statement, reported by the Daily Sabah September 24.

Earlier, President Trump in a speech at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, New York on Tuesday said Hamas refused to release the hostages who were held in Gaza or accepted a ceasefire.

The Palestinian militant group stated that calls for a conference statement for a permanent ceasefire, prisoner swaps, unrestricted humanitarian aid deliveries, Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, as well as the halt to settlement construction and land grabbing must be realized in concrete action.

Hamas also expressed his appreciation for all international positions that support justice for the Palestinian people, including ending the Israeli occupation, establishing a fully sovereign Palestinian state, and ensuring the right to return to the refugees.

The group reiterated that they, along with other Palestinian factions, formed a "national liberation movement", stressing that armed resistance is a legitimate right under international law until the occupation ends and an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is realized.

Since Sunday, 11 countries - Britain, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium, Andorra, France, Malta, Monaco, and San Marino - have officially recognized the Palestinian State. Thus, the total number of recognitions is 159 out of 193 UN member countries, according to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.

This wave of recognition comes more than three decades after the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared the state of Algeria in 1988.

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel carried out genocide in Gaza, where about 65,344 were killed and 166,795 others injured since the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023.