Hamas: US dreaming if it wants to force Palestinian group out of Gaza governance

“I think the Americans are dreaming a lot,” said Ghazi Hamad, in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic.

“The Americans who failed in Iraq, who failed in Afghanistan, who failed in Somalia … now they want to restructure Gaza?” he asked.

Hamad stated that any change in the governance of Gaza was an internal Palestinian matter, adding that Hamas would be involved in any decision.

He also warned the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank not to make a deal with the US and Israel at the expense of Hamas, as the question of what happens in Gaza if Hamas is defeated grows.

“You must not cooperate with the Americans,” Hamad said, addressing the PA.

“And don’t [go into Gaza] on the back of the American tank.”

He added that PA President Mahmoud Abbas should refuse any US attempts for it to takeover Gaza, but added that a lack of public comments on the matter from the PA “raises a question mark”.

In response to Israeli military claims that its forces were in the heart of Gaza City, Hamad asked for the Israelis to show evidence of their advances.

He also added that the Israelis did not want to rescue the captives being held in the Gaza Strip. Israel has publicly stated that the rescue of the captives is a priority of their military operation.