“Ceasefire negotiations halted after Al-Arouri’s assassination,” Hamas Politburo member tells Roya

Mohammad Nazzal, member of Hamas’ political bureau, has stated Thursday that the Israeli Occupation will “bear the consequences of escalating the conflict from inside Gaza to outside” in response to the assassination of Hamas Deputy Chief, Saleh Al-Arouri, in Beirut, Lebanon.

In his statement to Roya, Nazzal added the Occupation has failed to achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas after three months of the aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Nazzal confirmed that the Prisoner exchange negotiations had been halted after Al-Arouri’s assassination.

Regarding the UN general assembly session held next Tuesday to discuss the situation in Palestine and specifically Gaza, Nazzal stated that Hamas “does not expect anything” from the United Nations. “The UN couldn’t even agree to a humanitarian truce, let alone a ceasefire.”

“The UN is a hostage to the United States and other imperialist countries,” he added.

Nazzal emphasized that Hamas is open to “reconciliation” with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) but the two parties would need to be “in harmony” regarding facing the Israeli Occupation beforehand.