Hamas Chief to Iran’s FM: Ball in ‘Israel’s’ Court over Gaza Ceasefire

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein AmirAbdollahian stressed that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh briefed him on the Palestinian resistance movement's response to a proposed ceasefire for the Gaza Strip.

In a post on his X account on Monday, AmirAbdollahian said Haniyeh appreciated strong positions of Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi and the Iranian nation in support of Palestine and the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian minister added that Haniyeh also briefed him on the latest developments on the ground in the war-torn Gaza in the phone conversation on Sunday.

He emphasized that Haniyeh said that he had conveyed Hamas' response to a joint Egyptian-Qatari proposed plan on ending the “Israeli” entity’s attacks, exchanging captives and lifting the blockade.

"The ball is now in the opposite side's court. Hamas is honest in its intentions," AmirAbdollahian quoted Haniyeh as saying.

A short statement from Hamas on Monday said that the movement has agreed to a ceasefire proposal in Gaza, where it has fought a seven-month “Israeli” aggression that has left tens of thousands of dead.

According to the statement, Haniyeh had informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it accepted their proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said during the Sunday night talks Haniyeh had briefed AmirAbdollahian on the political plan aimed at stopping “Israel's” war in Gaza.

It added that Haniyeh has reiterated that the Hamas stance is to insist on restoring the Palestinian people's right to achieve any political agreement.

The top Iranian diplomat, for his part, hailed the brave resistance of the Palestinian people and resistance groups in the face of the “Israeli” entity during its war and genocide against Gaza over the past seven months.

AmirAbdollahian also voiced Iran's support for the proposed plan for the realization of the Palestinian people's rights, including the immediate and permanent cessation of the “Israeli” regime's crimes, the lifting of the cruel blockade on Gaza, the exchange of captives, the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying “Israeli” forces from the Strip and the reconstruction of the war-stricken areas.

He also briefed Hamas on Iran's latest diplomatic efforts to support Palestine and the resistance movement in international circles, including the Islamic Republic's active presence in the 15th annual Islamic Summit Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] in Gambia's capital Banjul.