Hamas will not hand over weapons until a Palestinian national army is created, says spokesperson.
Palestinian movement accepts ceasefire proposed by Trump, but conditions disarmament on the creation of a sovereign state with its own army.
Sputnik News Agency - Hamas accepted parts of Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but rejected the surrender of weapons, conditioning it on the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with its own army. The movement maintains that resistance will continue as long as there is occupation and that governance should be decided by all the Palestinian people.
The agreement between the Palestinian movement Hamas and US President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip does not include the surrender of weapons by the resistance, which will only be possible after the establishment of a fully-fledged Palestinian state with a national army, Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Walid Kilani told Sputnik.
"Hamas has never considered surrendering its weapons and has never linked its consent to the terms of the agreement to this issue. Our position is clear and firm: as long as the occupation continues, the resistance will also continue. The surrender of weapons will only be possible after the establishment of a fully-fledged Palestinian state, with decision-making powers and a national army capable of protecting the Palestinian people," said Kilani.
The main point of US President Donald Trump's proposal remains a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with the Palestinian resistance willing to discuss other conditions, the spokesman added.
"The central point emphasized by the movement is a ceasefire, while other details can be discussed and agreed upon. Therefore, the agreement on a ceasefire also includes a clause prohibiting the displacement of Palestinians from their lands," Kilani said.
The question of the governance of the Gaza Strip must be decided by the entire Palestinian nation, not just by the Hamas movement, Kilani added. "The agreement on certain points of the Washington plan was reached only insofar as it meets the demands and aspirations of the Palestinian people, without affecting other principles—in particular, the issue of disarmament and control of the Gaza Strip, since this decision belongs to the entire Palestinian people, not just the Hamas movement," he said.