AhlulBayt News Agency: Hamas has expressed readiness to pursue a comprehensive approach in the second round of Gaza ceasefire talks, with senior official Bassem Naim defending the Al-Aqsa Flood operation as an act of defense against decades of Israeli aggression.
Speaking to the Associated Press in Doha, Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said: “We are open to a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or any clashes.”
While affirming Hamas’ “right to resist,” Naim highlighted the group’s willingness to discuss the future of its weapons as part of a lasting solution that leads to a Palestinian state.
“This time must be used seriously and comprehensively,” he noted, adding that Hamas is “very open-minded” about the fate of its arms.
“We can talk about freezing, storing, or laying them down, with Palestinian guarantees not to use them during the ceasefire or truce,” he explained.
The Gaza truce, in place since October 10, has slowed the US-Israeli assault that has killed more than 70,000 civilians and injured many others.
Under the ceasefire terms, Palestinian resistance agreed to release the remaining 47 captives, both living and deceased, taken during the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.
All captives have been released except for the body of one Israeli police officer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court over Gaza war crimes, said Sunday he expects the second phase of the ceasefire plan to begin soon.
Netanyahu stated that Israel seeks “the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza” in the next round of talks.
Israel and its Western allies have consistently demanded Hamas and other resistance groups fully disarm as a condition for a lasting ceasefire.
Palestinians reject this demand, insisting that armed resistance is a fundamental right under international law.
They argue that surrendering weapons without the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state and full withdrawal from occupied territories would amount to submission and permanent subjugation.
‘International force welcome’
The second stage of the truce envisions further Israeli withdrawal, the establishment of a transitional authority, and the deployment of an international stabilization force.
Naim welcomed the idea of a UN force stationed near the borders to monitor the ceasefire, report violations, and prevent escalations.
However, he rejected any foreign military presence inside Gaza, stressing: “We don’t accept that these forces have any mandate to operate within Palestinian territories.”
Naim also pointed to progress in political talks, noting that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to form a technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s daily affairs.
He said a Palestinian Cabinet minister from the West Bank, originally from Gaza, has been chosen to lead the committee.
Asked if Hamas regrets the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, Naim said it was a direct response to decades of Israeli policies dating back to the Nakba in 1948.
“History didn’t start on Oct. 7,” he said, calling the attack a defensive act against occupation.
“For us, Oct. 7 was an act of defense. We fulfilled our duty to raise the voice of our people.”
Hamas maintains that the Al-Aqsa Flood operation aimed to break the 17-year siege on Gaza, protect Al-Aqsa Mosque from settler incursions, and resist normalization of occupation policies, including raids and mass detentions.
For Palestinians, the operation was a dramatic attempt to challenge the status quo and remind the world of the urgent need for justice and an end to apartheid.
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