The conflict in Gaza which began roughly a year ago‚ has grown into a wider regional issue thats now affecting Lebanon and other areas a senior Hamas official said on 10/16/24. Basem Naim spoke in Istanbul‚ pointing out that finding a solution to the expanding conflict depends on addressing the original Gaza crisis
Naim stated‚ “Its so complicated and intermingled the two fronts that its not easy to reach a permanent ceasefire or permanent solution to this conflict without solving the original one which is in Gaza“. This highlights the difficulty in resolving a war that now includes the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen and might involve the United States (which recently sent a missile defense battery to Israel)
The Gaza war started after Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel on 10/7/23‚ resulting in about 1‚200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken to the Palestinian enclave according to Israeli figures. Israels response has led to more than 42‚000 deaths as reported by Gaza authorities – turning much of the area into rubble and displacing most of its population
Even if a ceasefire is reached for Lebanon Naim believes it wont bring calm to the region: “Even if they reach a ceasefire for Lebanon there will be no calm in the region (because) they are not talking about solving all these questions related to Lebanon or Palestine“
Qatari and Egyptian-brokered efforts to stop the fighting and return Israeli hostages have been unsuccessful with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the deadlock. Naim mentioned that the mediators were “disappointed“ by the conflicts expansion beyond Gazas borders but again blamed Israel for the talks failure
We cannot simply start negotiating new conditions added by (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu
Naim described the latest Israeli offensive in northern Gaza as a “very tight suffocating siege“ that is “much more brutal and aggressive (than previous operations)“. He claimed‚ “It is directly targeting the civilian residential houses and homes“. Israel says its troops have killed dozens of Hamas fighters in recent days but theres growing international concern about the humanitarian situation facing Palestinians
The Hamas official criticized the U.S. position‚ questioning the consistency between calls for more aid and support for Israel: “How can one understand that at the same time that the Americans are calling for more aid and humanitarian relief they are sending billions and billions of dollars and ... explosive materials and weapons and (using) their veto each time in the UN Security Council to block the international will“
The complex situation in the Middle East continues to evolve with no clear resolution in sight – the intertwined nature of the conflicts making it challenging to find a comprehensive solution