Palestinian Information Center (PIC)   January 22, 2025

   Abu Marzouq’s statement came in an interview with the New York Times, about 48 hours after the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into force on Sunday.

   The newspaper considered the Movement’s willingness to establish dialogue with Washington, “a rare step from Hamas, which has always criticized Washington for its great support for Israel.”

   Hamas’s move comes as part of the Movement’s attempt to expand its international relations and improve its image on the global stage.

   “We are ready to start dialogue with America and achieve understandings on everything,” Abu Marzouk said in a phone interview with the American newspaper.

   He added that Hamas is ready to receive an envoy from the US administration of President Donald Trump in the Gaza Strip and will even provide him with protection if necessary.

   “He can come and see the people and try to understand their feelings and wishes so that the American position can be based on the interests of all the parties, and not only one party,” Abu Marzouk said and promised that Hamas will ensure the envoy’s security.

   On the other hand, the NBC News reported that the Trump envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is considering a visit to Gaza to help maintain the ceasefire agreement, according to an official in the Trump transitional team.

   Abu Marzouk called the US president, who was inaugurated on Monday, “a serious president”, as his role was decisive in reaching the ceasefire agreement. “Without President Trump and his insistence on ending the war, the agreement would not have been reached.”

   The New York Times says Hamas may need “to make some concessions if it wants to ensure the flow of international aid necessary for Gaza reconstruction,” and that the Movement has been prepared to abandon civil rule in the Strip, but it refuses to dismantle its armed wing.

   The United States has classified Hamas as a “terrorist organization” since 1997, a shared classification by other Western states.

   However, Hamas has made efforts in recent years to improve its relations with Western governments, including issuing a political document in 2017 in which it announced its acceptance of a Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 without recognizing Israel.

   The Gaza ceasefire agreement entered into force last Sunday morning, ending 15 months of genocidal war on the Strip.