A senior Hamas leader said he could not confirm that Hamas would disarm.

A senior Hamas leader, Mohammed Nazzal

                                      

A Hamas leader.. The movement aims to maintain security control in Gaza

A senior Hamas leader, Mohammed Nazzal, told Reuters on Sunday that the movement intends to retain security control in Gaza during a transitional period, adding that he could not confirm that the movement would disarm.

These positions reflect the difficulties facing US plans to ensure an end to the war in Gaza. Nazzal, a member of Hamas's political bureau, stated that the movement is prepared for a ceasefire of up to five years to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip, while providing guarantees for what happens afterward and offering "horizon and hope to the Palestinian people" for establishing an independent state.

In an interview with Reuters from Doha, Nazzal defended the measures the movement is implementing in Gaza, including the public executions on Monday. "There are always exceptional measures in wartime circumstances," he said. "Those who were arrested and then executed were executed based on the circumstances and investigations." He said that those executed were criminals involved in murders, he claimed.

Hamas has widely expressed these views, but the timing of Nazzal's statements reflects the major obstacles hindering efforts to bring a complete end to the war in Gaza, coming days after the agreement on the first phase of a ceasefire. These statements highlight significant gaps between Hamas's positions and US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, ahead of expected negotiations that will address Hamas's weapons and how to govern the Strip.

Netanyahu: Hamas Knows Where the Bodies Are

In response to a request for comment on Nazzal's statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that Israel is committed to the ceasefire agreement and continues to uphold and implement its side of the plan. In a statement to Reuters, Netanyahu said: "Hamas is supposed to release all prisoners in the first phase. But it hasn't. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Under this agreement, Hamas must disarm. There are no conditions or exceptions. It hasn't. Hamas must abide by the 20-point plan. Time is running out for it."

The Trump plan, announced on September 29, calls on Hamas to immediately return all prisoners before committing to disarming and handing over control of Gaza to a committee of technocrats overseen by an international transitional body. Netanyahu has expressed support for the plan, saying it will eliminate Hamas's military capabilities, end its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.

Following the Israeli strikes in the war, Hamas is under intense pressure to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, or risk renewed conflict. Asked whether Hamas will give up its weapons, Nazzal said in remarks he made on Wednesday, "I can't answer yes or no. Honestly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you're talking about, what does it mean? Who are they handing over weapons to? Why are they handing over weapons?"

This comes as Israel's Channel 12 reported that US envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, is heading to the Middle East on Sunday to monitor the implementation of the Trump plan. For its part, the American website Axios confirmed that Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is following up on the issue of returning the bodies of the prisoners. In the same context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority indicated that there is dialogue between mediators and Hamas in Egypt regarding the issue of returning the bodies of the prisoners.