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A senior Hamas official said Wednesday (October 16) that any solution to the rapidly expanding regional conflict— which now includes southern Lebanon and risks involving Iran— hinges on resolving the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
The conflict, now in its second year, has seen fighting escalate in Lebanon, where Israeli troops face Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia on the ground. Diplomatic efforts have stalled as an anticipated Israeli strike on Iran looms following Tehran’s recent missile attack on Israel, more than two weeks ago.
“It is so complicated and intermingled, the two fronts, that it is not easy to reach a permanent ceasefire or permanent solution to this conflict without solving the original one, which is in Gaza,” Basem Naim told Reuters in Istanbul.
The Gaza war began after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. Since then, Israel’s counteroffensive has killed more than 42,000 people, according to Gaza authorities, leaving much of the enclave in ruins and displacing large parts of its population.
While Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, remain committed to opposing Israel.
Ceasefire in Lebanon unlikely to calm region
Although Hezbollah, which launched rockets at Israel following the Oct. 7 attack, has begun considering a potential ceasefire, Naim argued that such a move alone would fail to bring stability to the region.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Even if they reach a ceasefire for Lebanon, there will be no calm in the region because they are not talking about solving all these questions related to Lebanon or Palestine,” he said.
Attempts by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to negotiate a halt in fighting and secure the return of Israeli hostages have failed, with both Hamas and Israel blaming one another for the deadlock. Naim stated the mediators were “disappointed” by the conflict’s spread beyond Gaza and held Israel accountable for the impasse.
Naim criticised Israel’s intensified operations in northern Gaza, describing them as a “very tight, suffocating siege” that is “much more brutal and aggressive” than previous offensives, with heavy attacks on residential areas.
Israel has reported killing dozens of Hamas fighters in recent days, though international concern has risen over the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian civilians. The US has urged Israel to allow more aid into Gaza.
However, Naim condemned what he called conflicting US actions, pointing to its continued support for Israel alongside calls for humanitarian relief.
“How can one understand that at the same time that the Americans are calling for more aid and humanitarian relief, they are sending billions and billions of dollars and … explosive materials and weapons, and (using) their veto each time in the UN Security Council to block the international will,” he said.
With inputs from Reuters
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