Hamas said on Friday it rejected the United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war with Israel as it was not in the best interest of the Palestinian people. "This resolution does not suit us because it is not in the best interest of the Palestinian people," Raafat Morra, an official with the movement, told AFP in Beirut. "This resolution does not take into account the aspiration of the Palestinian people."
In Gaza, a senior Hamas official said the group did not feel itself concerned by the UN resolution. "Even though we are the main actors on the ground in Gaza, we were not consulted about this resolution and they have not taken into account our vision and the interests of our people," Ayman Taha told AFP. "As a result we do not feel concerned by this resolution and when the different parties apply it they will have to deal with those who are in charge on the ground."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri made similar comments in an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television on Friday. "In the Hamas movement, we do not think that the battle has ended because this resolution was issued, especially after...the continuation of the aggression in Gaza after it was issued," Abu Zuhri said.
Abu Zuhri stressed the Security Council "did not take the interests and the demands of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, into consideration when making this resolution. "We will continue assessing our position in light of developments on the ground," he said.
According to the spokesman, a Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo on Saturday, when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is due to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas to discuss an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
