Deputy chairman of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniya has on Wednesday met the Norwegian ambassador to Palestine Hans Jacob Frydenlund and discussed issues relating to the region and the upcoming municipal elections.

Haniya noted the importance of the upcoming elections and stressed the need to respect the outcome of the vote regardless the winners.

He invited Norway to participate in monitoring the vote process, highlighting the necessity to stop Israeli measures aimed at influencing the results.

Haniya denounced the incitement campaign launched by Israel’s propaganda and security apparatuses against international aid agencies operating in Palestine.

He discarded reports claiming that Hamas operatives have infiltrated aid agencies as baseless, confirming that Hamas “has no ties to those who were detained”.