Mousa Abu Marzouk praised US President Donald Trump on his involvement in helping broker the ceasefire deal, calling him a “serious president” [Getty]
The first leader of Hamas’s political office, Mousa Abu Marzouk, announced that the Palestinian movement was “ready” for dialogue with the US just days after a ceasefire in Gaza took effect ending Israel’s 15-month-long military assault on the besieged enclave.
Abu Marzouk, 74, believes that with a truce in place for Gaza and a new administration in the White House, there is a window of opportunity to engage with Washington, despite the US designating Hamas as a “terrorist organisation” in 1997.
He said Hamas was ready to receive an envoy from the Trump administration in Gaza, saying the group would guarantee the envoy’s safety, according to a report by The New York Times on Monday.
“We’re prepared for a dialogue with America and achieving understanding on everything,” Abu Marzouk told the outlet by phone.
On Saturday, NBC News reported that Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was considering a visit to Gaza to maintain the ceasefire agreement.
“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,” Abu Marzouk said.
Israeli media reported last week that Witkoff had pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through a “stern talk” into accepting a Gaza ceasefire deal before taking office on Monday.
Israel has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza and reduced much of the territory to rubble since 7 October 2023 and stands accused of war crimes by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
UN experts and international human rights monitors have described Israel’s military campaign as genocide, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The senior Hamas official praised the new US President Donald Trump on his involvement in helping broker the ceasefire deal, calling him a “serious president”.
“If not for President Trump, his insistence on ending the war, and his dispatching of a decisive representative, the deal wouldn’t have happened,” Abu Marzouk said.
“Mr. Trump fully deserves credit for ending the war.”
