Hamas delegation meets Mauritanian president

By Mohamed Bakay

NOUAKCHOTT (AA) - A delegation from the Palestinian resistance faction Hamas on Monday met with Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in Nouakchott, the capital of the northwest African country.

The Hamas delegation included its foreign relations official, Osama Hamdan, and the group's spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.

Following the talks, Hamdan said in a press statement that the delegation explained to Aziz "the latest developments in the Palestinian issue, especially in light of the so-called ‘deal of the century,’ which is aimed at damaging the Palestinian cause."

He said they explained to Aziz "the situation of the Gaza Strip under the siege still imposed by the Zionist entity,” Israel.

"We assured him that the Palestinian people refuse to give up their rights and their land, Jerusalem and the right of return," said the statement.

Hamdan and Abu Zuhri arrived in Nouakchott on Saturday to take part in a rally on the issue of Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.