Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani informed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a telephone call that Israel was not interested in an escalation. This is according to the "international" director of the terrorist group Khaled Mashal.
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According to Mashal, Haniyeh replied that the Gaza Strip was not interested in an escalation either, but that it had areas of responsibility and that it was necessary to halt the escalation in Jerusalem.
Mashal claimed Haniyeh told Qatar's top diplomat that ritual Passover sacrifice at the Al-Aqsa Mosque must be banned – a narrative Hamas has promoted of late, along with Israeli security forces' invasion of the Jenin refugee camp. He further demanded the release of all those arrested by Israel.
Over the weekend, Haniyeh spoke with senior Egyptian intelligence officials about the situation in Jerusalem as well as the events that took place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Friday. Haniyeh warned of the repercussions of the "break-in to Al-Aqsa and the attack on the Palestinian people inside the mosque," pinning the blame on Israel, according to the official Hamas website.
The Hamas site further noted Haniyeh also spoke to UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.
Earlier, Wennesland had called for all sides to act to de-escalate the situation. He said the UN was in close contact with parties in the region to calm tensions in the area and at Al-Aqsa in particular.
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