Khalil al-Hayya urges Arab and Muslim nations to break Israeli siege on enclave
A local leader of the Palestinian group Hamas said Sunday that continuing negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza is meaningless while Israel continues its siege, starvation tactics and genocide against civilians in the enclave.
In a recorded statement broadcast on the group’s Telegram channel, Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas in Gaza and a member of its political bureau, appealed to Arab and Muslim nations, calling on them to march toward Palestine in protest to help end the blockade.
He urged scholars and the wider public in the Arab and Islamic world not to let Gaza “die of hunger,” calling on governments to sever all political, diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel.
Al-Hayya also called on the public to “express outrage by all means,” urging people in neighboring countries to march toward Gaza by land and sea, surround Israeli embassies and intensify economic and tourism boycotts.
Negotiations for a ceasefire were underway in the Qatari capital Doha, but the US and Israel recalled their teams for consultations on Thursday after a response from Hamas to the latest truce proposal.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 59,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
