A meeting between the Hamas terror group and United Nations envoy Tor Wennesland to strengthen the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel went poorly, Hamas Gaza governor Yahya Sinwar says.
The UN envoy recently arrived in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to stabilize the fragile ceasefire between the two sides.
“It was a bad meeting. It was not positive at all, and we clarified to the [United Nations] delegation that we would hold a meeting of Islamic and national factions in Gaza to decide our next steps,” Sinwar tells reporters following the meeting.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar sits in his bombed Gaza office, May 27, 2021 (Courtesy)
Hamas has demanded that Israel lift tightened restrictions on the Gaza Strip in exchange for continued calm, as well as permit Gaza to rebuild after the 11-day escalation between Israel and the terror group.
Israel has maintained tighter than usual restrictions on the coastal enclave since the end of the operation. Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said a full lifting of restrictions will not take place unless the two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers are not returned to Israel.
Sinwar says Israel is “trying to rob us, the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance, when it comes to lifting [the restrictions] on our people.”
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