Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

Hamas Confirms Conditional Support for Trump’s Ceasefire Plan


(MENAFN) Senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said Friday the Palestinian resistance group has agreed “in principle” to the main elements of a ceasefire proposal put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump, while stressing that any implementation hinges on further negotiations.

“We agreed to the US plan in its main outlines, as a principle,” Abu Marzouk told media, adding that progress would require “detailed negotiations through mediators.”

In a series of pointed remarks during the interview, Abu Marzouk underscored that Hamas is prepared to relinquish its arms, but only under a future sovereign Palestinian authority.

“We will hand over weapons to the coming Palestinian state, and whoever governs Gaza will hold the weapons,” he said, reinforcing that the group sees the broader fate of Palestinians as a collective matter: “Shaping the future of the Palestinian people is a national issue that Hamas alone cannot decide.”

He further clarified that Hamas is open to talks on all related issues: “Hamas will enter negotiations over all issues related to the movement and its weapons,” including the makeup of any proposed peacekeeping forces: “All the details concerning the peacekeeping force require understandings and clarification.”

Responding to concerns over the governance of the territory, Abu Marzouk pointed to a consensus on transferring Gaza's civil administration to neutral leadership: “There was a national agreement to hand over Gaza’s administration to independents whose reference is the Palestinian Authority.”

The senior figure also pushed back against accusations of militancy under the proposed framework: “Hamas is a national liberation movement, and that the definition of terrorism in the plan cannot be applied to it.”

In a separate development, Hamas issued a formal statement on Telegram, confirming its conditional support for Trump’s ceasefire roadmap. The group stated it had agreed to the release of all Israeli captives, return of bodies, and transfer of Gaza’s administrative control to an independent Palestinian entity.

The statement added: “Other issues raised in President Trump’s proposal concerning the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are tied to a unified national position based on relevant international laws and resolutions.”

A Palestinian official, speaking to media, said that Hamas had delivered its response to mediators and sought clarification on specific clauses of the plan.

According to the group, the position was the result of broad internal deliberations and outreach efforts: “Hamas indicated that it had conducted in-depth consultations within its leadership institutions and broad consultations with Palestinian forces and factions, as well as with mediators and friends, to reach a responsible position in dealing with US President Donald Trump’s plan.”

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