Hamas ready for 'dialogue with America,' says official

Hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, a senior Hamas official said that the militant group was ready to start a dialogue with the United States, making a rare overture to a country that Hamas has long excoriated for supporting Israel, News.az reports citing foreign media.

The comments made by the official, Mousa Abu Marzouk, who is based in Qatar, suggest that at least some senior members of Hamas hope it can engage directly with the Trump administration even though the United States has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization since 1997.

Abu Marzouk’s remarks may also indicate that Hamas feels buoyed by the ceasefire and believes there could be an opportunity to expand the group’s international relations.

“We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understandings on everything,” Abu Marzouk, the first leader of Hamas’ political office, said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Beyond the United States, numerous Western countries also consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, including Britain and Canada. But Hamas has made some efforts to improve relations with Western governments, including by issuing a policy document in 2017 that took more moderate positions than its founding charter. The document called the establishment of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip a “formula of national consensus,” but it also rejected recognition of Israel.

The group has refused to renounce violence and recognize Israel, and after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, it was forcefully condemned by the United States and European countries. The attack, analysts say, was a reflection of the ascendancy of hard-line leaders in the group advocating for violent conflict over long-term understandings with Israel.

President Donald Trump, however, has previously demonstrated willingness to meet with longtime foes of the United States such as Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Abu Marzouk, a native of Gaza and a former resident of northern Virginia, is a member of Hamas’ political office, but it is not clear whether he speaks on behalf of all senior Hamas leaders, including Mohammed Sinwar and Izzeldin al-Haddad, hard-line military commanders in Gaza.

He is considered to be one of the more pragmatic voices in Hamas and leads Hamas’ foreign relations office. Other senior Hamas officials have invested more in developing ties with members of the so-called axis of resistance, including Iran, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and the Houthis in Yemen. Abu Marzouk, 74, said Hamas was also ready to welcome an envoy from the Trump administration in the coastal enclave, despite long-standing U.S. policy to provide Israel with billions of dollars in weapons and defend it at international institutions. Hamas, he added, would even provide such a visitor with protection.

“He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties, and not only one party,” he said.

News.Az