Will not disarm before Israeli occupation ends, says Hamas

Hamas on Friday said that the group will not disarm until Israeli occupation ends, Reuters news agency reported. 

We will enter into negotiations related to the group and its arms, Al Jazeera quoted a senior Hamas official as saying.

Hamas said it is ready to release all Israeli captives, whether alive or the bodies of those killed.

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, the group in a statement said it was prepared to “immediately engage in negotiations through mediators” to discuss the details of the release. 

Hamas also said the group is willing to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a “Palestinian body of independent technocrats”.

"We have agreed nationally to hand over the administration of Gaza to independents, and that this should be under the Palestinian Authority. Shaping the future of the people is a national issue that Hamas cannot decide alone," Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said. 

"The priority is to stop the war and massacres, and from this perspective, we dealt positively with the plan," he said. 

"Handing over prisoners and bodies within 72 hours is theoretical and unrealistic under the current circumstances," he added.