RAMALLAH, Palestine

Hamas is part of the Palestinian political landscape, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said Sunday.

“Hamas is part of the Palestinian political map, and if Israel claims that it will eliminate, this will not happen, and it is unacceptable to us,” Shtayyeh said in a speech at the 21st edition of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

The Palestinian premier called for halting the Israeli “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

"The Palestinian Authority did not leave Gaza. Rather, we supply it with electricity, water, and health equipment, and we did not abandon Hamas,” Shtayyeh said.

Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007 after ousting the security forces of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority following infighting.

Shtayyeh said the Gaza conflict requires a political solution, not a security one.

“Israel has always wanted a security solution and has failed on this issue. The United States has also failed,” he said. "Israel has not achieved any political goal (in Gaza). It is only taking revenge and killing anything that confronts it."

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 17,997 Palestinians and injuring more than 49,229 others, according to health authorities in the Palestinian enclave.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio