Hamas official says: No end to widening Mideast conflict without Gaza resolution

Any solution to the rapidly expanding regional conflict that has spread to Lebanon and beyond hinges on a resolution of the original crisis in Gaza, a senior Hamas official said on Wednesday.

"It is so complicated and intermingled, the two fronts, that it is not easy to reach a permanent ceasefire or permanent solution to this conflict without solving the original one, which is in Gaza," Basem Naim told Reuters in Istanbul.

"Even if they reach a ceasefire for Lebanon, there will be no calm in the region (because) they are not talking about solving all these questions related to Lebanon or Palestine," he said.

Naim said the mediators were "disappointed" by the expansion of the conflict beyond Gaza's borders but again blamed Israel for the failure of the talks.

"We cannot simply start negotiating new conditions added by (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu," he said.

Naim said the latest Israeli offensive in northern Gaza amounted to a "very tight, suffocating siege" unlike others.

"It is much more brutal and aggressive (than previous operations). It is directly targeting the civilian residential houses and homes," he said.

However Naim said U.S. calls for more aid were not consistent with its overall support for Israel.

"How can one understand that at the same time that the Americans are calling for more aid and humanitarian relief, they are sending billions and billions of dollars and ... explosive materials and weapons, and (using) their veto each time in the U.N. Security Council to block the international will," he said.

Reuters