ISTANBUL

Hamas on Tuesday welcomed the joint declaration of an international two-state solution conference in New York, calling it an important step toward holding Israel accountable and advancing Palestinian rights. 

The Palestinian resistance group said the statement’s calls for a permanent ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, and a halt to settlement building and land confiscation must be translated into concrete action. 

Hamas also expressed appreciation for all international positions that support justice for the Palestinian people, including ending the Israeli occupation, establishing a fully sovereign Palestinian state, and ensuring the right of return for refugees. 

The group reaffirmed that it, along with other Palestinian factions, forms a “national liberation movement,” stressing that armed resistance is a legitimate right under international law until the occupation ends and an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is realized. 

Since Sunday, 11 countries – the UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Luxembourg, Belgium, Andorra, France, Malta, Monaco and San Marino – have officially recognized the state of Palestine, raising the total number of recognitions to 159 out of 193 UN member states, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

The wave of recognition comes more than three decades after the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat proclaimed statehood from Algiers in 1988. 

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.