Doha
In an exclusive interview with WION, Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh laid emphasis on urgently bringing an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has now entered its ninth week.
The Palestine Authority never really left Gaza, Palestine's Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told WION on the sidelines of Doha Forum in the Qatari capital on Sunday (Dec 10).
Asked about the talks of Palestine Authority taking up the administration of Gaza from Hamas, Shtayyeh said that the salary of 34,000 Palestinian civil servants in Gaza is paid for by the Palestine Authority itself. "There are important issues that need national consensus," Shtayyeh said.
Hamas has been the de-facto governing authority of the Gaza Strip since its takeover of the blockaded Palestinian enclave in June 2007.
'Stop the war': Palestinian PM
The Palestinian prime minister said that the United States must ensure an end to the "atrocities" committed by Israel in the ongoing war.
"Our focus is on today. Today means to stop the war," Shtayyeh said.
While laying emphasis on the resolution of Israel-Palestine conflict, Shtayyeh said: "When it comes to the day after, the US has been talking about two-state solution. What we want is not another 30 years of negotiations for the two-state solution. We want a mechanism of implementation for Israel to end its occupation that has occurred in Palestinian territories since 1967 and manifest the two-state solution on the border of 1967, where Jerusalem remains the capital of the state of Palestine."
Israeli tanks battled their way to the centre of Khan Younis on Sunday (Dec 10) in a major new push into the heart of the main city in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after militants burst across the fence on Oct. 7 and went on a rampage through Israeli towns, gunning down families in their homes, killing 1,200 people and seizing 240 hostages.
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Since then, Gaza's health authorities say at least 17,700 people have been confirmed killed in Israeli strikes, with thousands more missing and presumed dead under rubble. The toll no longer includes figures from northern parts of the blockaded Palestinian enclave, beyond the reach of ambulances and where hospitals have ceased functioning.
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An Israeli siege has cut off supplies, with the United Nations warning of mass hunger and disease.
At Doha Forum, Arab foreign ministers criticised the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution on Friday (Dec 8) that demanded a humanitarian ceasefire.