By Xinhua
Gaza : Hamas on Wednesday denied reports that Egypt resumed mediation between the Islamic movement and Israel, upon a green light from the United States, to reach ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
“We don’t have information about these reports and what we have is the opposite,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told reporters in Gaza.
“Hamas’ ties with the Arab countries don’t need permission from America,” Abu Zuhri continued, adding that the Arab countries “should take steps to correct the mistake they did against Hamas and the Palestinian people who paid the price.”
Earlier, the London-based al-Hayyat daily quoted a Palestinian source as saying that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Egypt to talk with Hamas and convince the Islamic movementto stop firing rockets into Israel from Gaza Strip.
Abbas informed U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Ramallah on Tuesday, of the request he made for Egypt, the report said.
Rice agreed and supported Abbas’ initiative which calls onIsrael to “stop its attacks in Gaza, lift the siege and hand over Gaza Strip crossings to the Palestinian National Authority in exchange for Hamas’ stopping of rocket attacks into Israel,” according to the report.
Most of Arab countries boycott Hamas after it routed forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and took over the Gaza Strip last June. Israel stepped up attacks in the Hamas-ruled Gaza. Abu Zuhri also denied reports that Hamas’ exiled chief, Khaled Mashaal, rejected a request from the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to unilaterally stop the rocket attacks into Israel.
“Our stance is clear; it is the Israeli aggression that should stop first because the rockets are a reaction to the Israeli occupation’s crimes against the people,” Abu Zuhri said.
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