ANKARA, April 21. /TASS/. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that he would like to see Egypt, Qatar, the UN, Russia, Turkey and in the future the United States among the guarantors of security for the Gaza Strip, but Israel opposes this.
"Our demands in this matter remain in force. We want Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, the UN to be guarantors. Of course, the United States will also [be able to join] in the future. However, Israel constantly opposes this. Demand for guarantor countries - we always put it first," he said in an interview with A haber TV channel
Talking about the current situation in Gaza, Haniyeh noted that "the resistance is still strong, it is firmly on its feet, the people are resisting, making efforts to defend themselves."
"In every area of Gaza, people are resisting. The Israeli army has left many areas, and this gives us strength," he said.
Haniyeh pointed out that for Gaza, "Lebanese help is very valuable; without it, the Palestinians would fight alone." Iran has also "been helping for many years, which is no secret," he added.
Speaking about the reasons for the failure of negotiations on the exchange of hostages and a ceasefire, the Hamas leader said that "Israel wants to get all the hostages and then continue military operations again."
"They want to legalize the occupation by the Israeli army. That is why, for example, we do not raise the white flag in Rafah. Our resistance will be even stronger, and they will see it. Israel is the only force that prevents the establishment of a ceasefire. And unfortunately, the US unconditionally accepts everything Israel says," Haniyeh said.
He recalled that the northern regions of the Gaza Strip "have not received humanitarian aid for 5 months." In this regard, Hamas asks "first of all to put pressure on Israel so that the sector can receive assistance." Haniyeh praised Turkey's steps to impose a trade embargo on Israel and expressed hope that other countries would do the same.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the Hamas leader in Istanbul on Saturday. They discussed the situation in Gaza and prospects for resolving the conflict.
Haniyeh called on the international community to prevent Israel from carrying out a military operation in the Rafah area in the south of the Gaza Strip.
"The [Israeli] invasion of Rafah could lead to the massacre of the Palestinian people. I call on all brotherly countries, our brothers in Egypt, Turkey, Qatar as mediators, as well as European states to take measures to curb the aggression, prevent the invasion of Rafah and complete withdrawal (Israeli army) from the Gaza Strip," Haniyeh told.
"If the Zionist enemy nevertheless goes to Rafah, the Palestinian people will not raise the white flag, the resistance fighters in Rafah are also ready to defend themselves and resist attacks," he said after a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.