The special envoy of the US President Stephen Witkoff said that the key to resolving the conflict in Gaza is the demilitarization of Hamas, the holding of real elections and the creation of a new security system.
"We need to demilitarize Hamas. We need real elections in Gaza. We need a completely new approach to thinking there. "We need to create a real security system that guarantees Israel that there will be no long-term problem with Gaza," Witkoff stressed in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson.
The diplomat said that the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza was "inevitable due to the unwillingness of the Palestinian movement to respond adequately to the American proposal for a peace agreement and the demilitarization of Hamas."
"Hamas' response was completely unacceptable," he said.
Witkoff added that he had warned the participants at the Arab meeting of the high probability of an Israeli military response. "I did not know in advance that Israel would do this, but from Hamas's reaction I understood that this would be the only alternative. "Maybe we can use this situation now to force Hamas to be more reasonable," he said.
Witkoff added that Hamas's influence in the region is "based on violence," making the movement's demilitarization necessary. "If Israel believes Hamas will stay in Gaza for a long time, this conflict will never end," he said. According to him, the only way to deal with the problem is to satisfy all parties involved and ensure that an attack on Israel like the one on October 7, 2023, will never happen again.
The United States is holding indirect talks with Hamas, discussing the possibility of both stopping Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip and ending the current conflict through dialogue, Witkoff stressed.
„We are currently holding talks about a possible halt to some of the Israeli strikes and a possible ending to this conflict through dialogue“, the special representative noted.
“What does Hamas want? I think they want to stay there forever and rule Gaza. And that is unacceptable”, Witkoff said. “What is acceptable to us is this: they should demilitarize and then maybe they can stay there for a while, be politically engaged“, he added, specifying that the negotiations with Hamas are being conducted through Qatar.
On March 18, the Israeli army launched massive strikes on the Gaza Strip. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained this by the rejection of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas from the proposals made during the negotiations by the mediators and Witkoff, stating that the purpose of the operation in the sector was to free all hostages. The radicals accused Israel and the United States of the renewal of hostilities. Since the collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza, about 600 Palestinians have died, including 200 children.