The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, on Sunday blasted Hamas leaders for their statements against Israel.
"I condemn the latest statements made by some Hamas leaders reportedly calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. They do not serve the interest of peace and the goal of achieving a negotiated two-state solution,” Mladenov said in a statement.
“Under the auspices of Egypt, Palestinian leaders have embarked on a course to solve the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and enable the government to take up its responsibilities in the Strip. I encourage them not be distracted from this objective,” he added.
Hamas and Fatah recently signed a reconciliation agreement, ending a decade-long split following talks mediated by Egypt in Cairo.
Under the agreement, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is to resume full control of Hamas-controlled Gaza by December 1.
Israel rejected the unity agreement due to the involvement of Hamas, an internationally recognized terror organization. Last week, the Israeli Cabinet made clear that it would not negotiate with the new Palestinian unity government until Hamas recognizes Israel, disarms, and severs its ties with Iran.
Hamas rejected the Israeli demands and then sent a high-ranking delegation, headed by its deputy leader Salah Al-Aruri, to Iran to discuss the reconciliation agreement with local leaders.
Aruri stressed on Saturday that the group would never agree to sever its ties with Iran and give up the armed struggle against “the Zionist regime”.
Aruri is alleged to have masterminded a series of attacks against Israelis in Judea and Samaria. In 2015, the U.S. Treasury issued sanctions against him over his role in planned terrorist attacks.