Gaza: Palestinian officials and leaders welcomed on Thursday the announcement of an agreement to cease the war on the Gaza Strip, more than two years after the outbreak of the Israeli aggression that left over 67,000 Palestinians dead and 170,000 injured.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, President Mahmoud al-Habbash's advisor for religious affairs stated that the leadership's priority since the beginning of the aggression has been to stop the genocide and the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip. He added that any agreement that leads to stopping the bloodshed, preventing displacement and land confiscation, and allowing the entry of aid is welcome.
Al-Habbash further commented in an interview with Voice of Palestine, highlighting that the occupation government and its colonists have exploited the war of genocide in Gaza to escalate their religious violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque, in an attempt to impose a new fait accompli and change the Islamic identity of these holy sites.
Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), remarked that the announcement of an agreement to cease the war of genocide is a significant event. He noted that the leadership, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, has exerted great efforts to stop the war and prevent further material and human losses.
Majdalani affirmed that this important step paves the way for halting the policy of displacement of the Palestinian people. It also represents a step towards implementing all phases of the agreement, leading to a political process that will end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state. He stressed the necessity for real and serious guarantees from the US administration obligating Israel not to return to the bloody war against Palestinians, to halt all unilateral measures in the West Bank, and to halt its attempts to undermine the Palestinian Authority.
Majdalani pointed out that any negotiations concerning the next phase are a Palestinian national affair, with the PLO being the sole legitimate representative possessing political, geographical, and legal jurisdiction over all Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Jamal Obeid, a member of the Fatah Supreme Leadership Committee in Gaza, expressed that the citizens of the Gaza Strip are looking with hope despite the pain and suffering caused by the two-year massacre. Obeid stressed that Palestinians yearn to live with dignity, freedom, and pride, and seek to regain their national rights, preserve and protect the national project, and live a better life befitting their great sacrifices.
He emphasized that President Mahmoud Abbas has tirelessly worked to stop the genocidal war and that Palestinians in the Strip are eager for the Palestinian National Authority to assume its legal and constitutional duties.
Tayseer Nasrallah, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, emphasized that the announcement of an agreement to end the war of genocide represents an important first step that aligns with the leadership's direction and priority from the outset, as well as its ongoing efforts to stop the war. Nasrallah stressed the need to follow up on the remaining stages of the agreement, emphasizing that the Palestinian National Authority is the only entity capable of managing the post-war phase in Gaza.