Israel swiftly condemned an agreement brokered by China which Beijing said would bring Hamas into a “national reconciliation government” for post-war Gaza.
The diplomatic spat came as Israel hammered Gaza, including the southern city of Khan Yunis, where it had ordered a partial evacuation of civilians.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz insisted that “Hamas rule will be crushed” and accused Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah faction signed the deal, of embracing the group whose Oct 7 attacks triggered the war.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres nonetheless hailed the accord, with his spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying “all steps towards unity are to be welcomed and encouraged”.
Any involvement by the group in the post-war governance of Gaza is anathema to the United States as well as Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the United States – where he will address a joint session of Congress – and has vowed to continue the Gaza war until Hamas is destroyed.
Meanwhile, Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, framed China’s involvement as a way to counter US influence.
He said Washington “opposes any internal Palestinian national consensus and is completely biased (and) even partners with the occupation in its crimes against our people”.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk, Fatah envoy Mahmud al-Aloul and emissaries from 12 other Palestinian factions. — AFP
