According to Khalil al-Hayya, the leader of Hamas in the enclave, "the presence of our weapons is related to occupation and aggression. As soon as the occupation is ended, we are ready to hand over the weapons to state control."
As reported by AFP, Hamas demands the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, to which the group can transfer its weapons on the condition that Israeli troops are withdrawn.
Furthermore, Hamas is willing to agree to the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces to monitor the ceasefire and guard the borders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, expressed hope for a swift transition to the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza. He noted: "We have practically completed the first stage of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza." At the end of December, Netanyahu is scheduled to hold talks with Trump regarding the implementation of the next stage.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu rejected the idea of creating an independent Palestinian state. He emphasized that "there is a path to a broader peace with Arab states and to a sustainable peace with our Palestinian neighbors." He added: "But we will not create a state on our doorstep that will seek our destruction."
