TEHRAN, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran will support any decision adopted by Palestinian leaders in the ongoing negotiations over arrangement for the Gaza Strip, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday during a phone call with Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas' political bureau.
Pezeshkian vowed to continue supporting Palestinians "to the fullest extent possible," according to a statement published on the website of his office.
He said the issue of Palestine remains the Muslim world's "top priority" and one of the fixed principles of Iran's foreign policy, stressing the need to provide all-out support to the Palestinian people, back the decisions of Palestinian leaders, and strengthen unity and convergence among Islamic countries in defending the interests of the Muslim world.
Al-Hayya, for his part, described Israel as the main cause of instability and insecurity in the Middle East, and praised Iran's continued support for the Palestinian people.
He said Hamas is pursuing the ongoing political negotiations with the participation of and in coordination with other Palestinian groups.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that the U.S.-led "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement on the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.
Hamas later said it had agreed to the "latest version of the roadmap" for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement after "fierce" negotiations, but conditioned weaponry arrangements on Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and progress on reconstruction.
Basem Naim, a Hamas political bureau member, said in a brief press statement on Wednesday that Hamas is still awaiting an official response from Nickolay Mladenov, "high representative for Gaza" of the "Board of Peace," and mediators regarding the roadmap for implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, adding that the movement demonstrated a "high degree of responsibility" in dealing with the proposals presented to it. ■
