Hamas Refuses to Commit to Disarming

Asked for comment on Nazzal's remarks, the Prime Minister's Office said Israel was committed to the ceasefire agreement and continued to uphold and fulfill its side of the plan.

"Hamas is supposed to release all hostages in stage 1. It has not. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Hamas are to be disarmed under this agreement. No ifs, no buts. They have not. Hamas need to adhere to the 20-point plan. They are running out of time," it said in a statement to Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the plan, saying it would dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza would never again pose a threat to Israel.

Asked if Hamas would give up its arms, Nazzal, speaking on Wednesday, said: "I can't answer with a yes or no. Frankly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you're talking about, what does it mean? To whom will the weapons be handed over?"

He added that issues to be discussed in the next phase of negotiations, including weapons, concerned not only Hamas but other armed Palestinian groups, and would require Palestinians more broadly to reach a position.

Asked for its response to Nazzal's remarks, the White House directed Reuters to comments by Trump on Thursday.

"We have a commitment from them and I assume they're going to honor their commitment," Trump said, noting that Hamas had returned more bodies but without elaborating on the issue of it disarming or its interim presence on the ground.

Noting Trump's remarks, Nazzal said there was an understanding regarding Hamas' presence on the ground, without specifying among whom, indicating it was necessary to protect aid trucks from thieves and armed gangs.

"This is a transitional phase. Civilly, there will be a technocratic administration as I said. On the ground, Hamas will be present," he said. After the transitional phase, there should be elections, he said.

Nazzal said Hamas had suggested a long-term truce in meetings with US officials, and wanted a truce of at least three to five years to rebuild the Gaza Strip. "The goal isn't to prepare for a future war."

Beyond that period, guarantees for the future would require states to "provide horizons and hope for the Palestinian people," he said.

"The Palestinian people want an independent Palestinian state," he added.