By Afshin Rattansi, Press TV, Tehran

The following is an interview with the deputy leader of Hamas in exile, Mousa Abu Marzouk, over the crisis in Gaza.

Press TV: First of all there have been demonstrations here in Tehran, saying the war was a victory for Hamas. Thousands of people have been injured, a thousand Palestinians are dead; why is it a victory?

Marzouk: Of course, it is very clearly a victory. When the aggression started, they [Israel] wanted five objectives for this war; to remove Hamas from governing Gaza Strip, to stop the rocket-launching from Gaza, to stop any kind of weapons from [entering] Gaza, and to replace Mahmoud Abbas back in power again (in Gaza) -- to change the formula. They are trying to [make] a good picture of the Israeli leader and the Israeli army.

Now if you are talking about the objectives, which one did the Israeli aggression successfully accomplish? If he [Israel's leader] failed to accomplish any of those objectives, what does that mean? In any war if you do not accomplish the objectives, it means that you are defeated. That means the other side [is] the winner. There is no other choice, you win or lose.

We didn't choose to go to war. They made the aggression. They wanted their own objectives, they failed to succeed, that means Hamas succeeded.

We know they have that much weaponry and power, there is no balance of power. Buildings are destroyed and they hit the children and kill them; they hit the women and kill them.

Press TV: Hamas says the ceasefire will last a week, to give time for the Israelis to withdraw. What happens if they do not withdraw all their forces? Have your people been talking to [United Nations Secretary-General] Ban Ki-moon, who is in Gaza now?

Marzouk: We don't mind if Ban Ki-moon talks with us. We have prepared for everything. We [would] provide complete security for Ban Ki-moon, and we [would] help the United Nations employees anywhere in the Gaza Strip, and we welcome any meeting with him. But this decision belongs to him. And for the Israelis, if they did not withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip, we can start resisting those troops.

Press TV: And the two billion dollars talked about in Kuwait for the reconstruction of Gaza, do you think that Hamas will get that two billion dollars or it will be given to Mahmoud Abbas.

Marzouk: It is not our objective to get the money, and it is very clear to us that should not go to Mahmoud Abbas. What we need and want is that this money goes to the people directly; go to the people whose houses were destroyed; to the universities; to schools. And they can do that themselves. Or they can send advisors, or somebody to monitor their money in Gaza Strip. We do not mind the 'how' or the way to send the money and give it to the people, but we will never accept any step like this to give the money to Mahmoud Abbas.

Press TV: You trusted [Egyptian President] Hosni Mubarak, because Hamas leader went to Cairo, and they were in constant discussions even when there was a plan in Qatar. How was it for Hamas talking with the Egyptians, when the war was still going on? How was the Egyptian position, because the Egyptian position in Kuwait seemed very different to the position of say Bashar al Assad or the position even of Amr Mussa.

Marzouk: As you know, there is a clear position for the Egyptian side about what is going on in Palestine. They support Mahmoud Abbas very strongly. They do not like to see us in the Gaza Strip or (in) the political agenda or in the Palestinian political system.

But in reality, they could not remove Hamas. They are trying, the whole world, Israel, and Mahmoud Abbas, is trying to remove Hamas from power in Gaza by many ways; by boycotts, by the internal war, by the Israeli aggression. They are trying many times to change the formula, by Israel, by Mohammad Dahlan, by the siege. They are trying all of their means, but they did not get any results from any of these projects.

We are dealing with political agenda, and the Egyptians are the mediators, we are dealing with them. We want to reach an agreement and we know exactly what their position is and we know our position.