Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza, a senior Hamas official said, while praising Donald Trump in securing a peace deal.
Speaking to Sky News, Dr Basem Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without Trump but said the US President must continue to apply pressure to Israel to ensure the agreement is not violated.
He said: “Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war. Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Netanyahu to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering.”
He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground”.
He added: “We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on Netanyahu to fulfil the obligation.
“First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen.
“We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen.”
However, he criticised plans for Blair to play any role in the future of Gaza.
Naim added: “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
“We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan.’
Israel Will Not Release Terrorist Barghouti In Prisoner Exchange
Israel released a list of the Palestinian detainees that it plans to release as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement made with Hamas.
Of the 250 Palestinian prisoners, 15 will be released in East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank, and 135 will be deported.
Initially, when Hamas officials submitted a list of proposed prisoners to be released to mediators in Egypt, they called for the release of high-profile Palestinian political figures such as Marwan Barghouti, imprisoned by Israel since 2002 for several murders and the Intifada uprisings. But Netanyahu’s office confirmed it refuses to release Barghouti.
Palestinian Exodus
Meanwhile, as news of a successful ceasefire hit the airwaves, thousands of Palestinian people in Gaza began heading north in the territory after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire came into effect on Friday.
In a statement released on Telegram, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines” from midday local time. It marked the first stop in fighting since March.
Nearly half a million Palestinians living in north Gaza were displaced by Israel’s military advance into Gaza City, and many were eager to return to their homes.
But with more than 90% of homes in Gaza and almost all its infrastructure destroyed or damaged, many who have done so have found their homes and neighbourhoods in ruins.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Palestinians heading north to enable the Israeli military adjust to new deployment lines in consonance with the ceasefire agreement terms.
