As the Israel-Hamas escalation enters its second month, Washington has begun discussing with Israeli and Arab leaders a future for the Gaza Strip without Hamas rule, Reuters reports.

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of Hamas’ leadership, told the New York Times that the group’s assault on Israel was intended to shatter the status quo and open a new chapter in its fight against Israel.

“We succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm,” he said, according to the newspaper on Wednesday.

Saleh al-Arouri, an exiled Hamas commander, told Al-Aqsa TV on Wednesday that its fighters are determined to inflict losses on Israeli forces in ground battles in Gaza. “The more (Israel) spreads and expands on the ground, the deeper its losses will become”, he said.

A clip from the Hamas video released on Wednesday showed fighters in Gaza running past piles of debris and stopping to fire shoulder-propelled missiles at Israeli tanks. Another showed them shooting rifles from perches behind buildings and dumpsters. Reuters was not able to authenticate the footage.

Opinion

Editorial

Positive feelers
Updated 27 Jun, 2024

Positive feelers

New Delhi’s negotiators should adopt a less rigid stance if they are at all serious about regional peace.
Polio problem
27 Jun, 2024

Polio problem

SIX cases in six months. The tally for the entire last year equalled in half the time. Pakistan’s efforts towards...
Battle against heat
27 Jun, 2024

Battle against heat

DO the rulers have what it takes to protect citizens from sizzling temperatures? Apathetic and myopic, they have...
Extremist threat
Updated 26 Jun, 2024

Extremist threat

Do those who control the levers of state intend to confront the extremist elements that are fanning the flames of hatred in society?
Crime of torture
26 Jun, 2024

Crime of torture

WHILE the world observes the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Pakistan finds itself among those...
Price of truth
26 Jun, 2024

Price of truth

JULIAN Assange will soon be a free man. The WikiLeaks founder, who had been in the crosshairs of the world’s most...