A senior official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said that Hamas may recognize Israel as a state in order to end Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Marzouk stated this in an interview with the Al-Monitor portal, noting that the recognition of Israel is the official position of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). According to him, Israelis deserve rights, but not at the expense of others.
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post writes that Hamas, both in the Arab world and beyond, was under pressure due to the conflict that followed after October 7, when it attacked Israel.
The interview with Marzouk followed shortly before Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised address yesterday that any arrangement in Gaza without Hamas is a deception.
“We are open to discussing any ideas or initiatives that could end (Israeli) aggression and open the door to putting the Palestinian house in order, both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip,” Haniyeh said.
The PLO recognized Israel in the Oslo Accords in 1993, but Hamas refuses to recognize this state.
