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Hamas said it would consider giving up missiles and rockets as part of a ceasefire with Israel, a sign the group is prepared to make further concessions toward the US-brokered roadmap for peace.
"If you're referring to weapons with ranges beyond the buffer zone, then yes, that's reasonable to discuss, because they could pose a threat to the other side," Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk said when asked by Al-Jazeera about disarmament. He spoke in an interview with the Doha-based TV station on Wednesday.
Hamas is working on an alternative to the Gaza stabilization force laid out in the plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump last month, Abu Marzouk said. The group's counter proposal, he said, will prevent a "power vacuum" in the Palestinian territory, after fighting was mostly paused following the signing of the agreement.
Gaza could be run by a security force made up of Hamas police and security personnel, who would keep their small arms, he said, as well as other Palestinians.
"We haven't entered that phase yet to have such discussions," Abu Marzouk said from Doha, the Qatari capital where many Hamas officials are based. "Our goal is stability and preventing war. Their goal is to avoid threats and prevent another Oct. 7," he said, referring to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the two-year conflict.
Abu Marzouk's comments suggest much still needs to be done before an agreement on the next stages of Trump's plan can be reached. The US leader hailed the deal as ensuring long-term peace between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the wider region.
Hamas released its remaining live hostages taken in the Oct. 7 raid after agreeing to the ceasefire, though it hadn't previously shown any intention to disarm or cede governance of the territory. The group has said it would only be willing to hand over governance of Gaza to a Palestinian government chosen by its people.
The transfer of remains of hostages held by Hamas who died during the war has been blighted by delays, prompting Israel to repeatedly accuse the militant group of breaking the terms of the truce. Israel launched air strikes in Gaza last week in response to attacks on its soldiers, briefly throwing the ceasefire into doubt.
"We also have goals: protecting our people, maintaining social peace, rebuilding, and restoring life to our people," said Abu Marzouk.
The Trump plan calls for Israel to give ground gradually to a multi-national force before maintaining a "security perimeter presence that will remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat."
Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other governments.
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