Wadephul: Without pressure on Hamas, there will be no peace. Arab states demand disarmament

The German foreign minister said on Monday that Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other Arab states are putting pressure on the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip to disarm and thus support further peace negotiations with Israel.

“All these states do not want Hamas to remain active. They want disarmament, and in this regard we have a good scenario for pressure, because without pressure it will not work,” Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in effect since Friday and is the result of diplomatic efforts by the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. On Monday, the exchange of prisoners between the two parties to the conflict began.

US President Donald Trump declared during his trip to Israel that the war in the Gaza Strip was over. The head of the White House will also speak in the Israeli parliament and then travel on to a peace summit in Egypt.

(reuters, max)