Hamas defends Al-Aqsa Storm, says open to comprehensive ceasefire talks

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, speaking in an interview with the Associated Press in the Qatari capital Doha, emphasized that "We are open to a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or any further clashes or explosions.”

While insisting that Hamas retains its "right to resist," Naim stressed the group’s openness regarding the fate of its weapons as part of a lasting solution leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"This time has to be used seriously and in a comprehensive way," he said, adding that Hamas is "very open-minded" about what to do with its arms.

"We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce."

The Gaza truce, in effect since October 10, has slowed down the US-Israeli genocide inside the strip, which has so far killed over 70,000 civilians and injured many more.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Palestinian resistance committed to releasing the remaining 47 living and dead captives seized in the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

All of the captives have so far been released except for the body of an Israeli police officer.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the regime’s prime minister, wanted by the International Criminal Court for a Gaza war crimes probe, announced Sunday he expected the second phase of the ceasefire plan to begin soon.

Netanyahu said they seek to “achieve the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza” during the second-phase talks.

Israel and its Western backers have consistently demanded the complete disarmament of Hamas and other resistance groups as a core condition for any lasting ceasefire.

But Palestinians have rejected this, arguing that they have a fundamental right to armed resistance against military occupation, a right enshrined under international law.

They say surrendering their weapons without the simultaneous establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, with full withdrawal from all occupied territories, is equivalent to signing a surrender document that guarantees their subjugation.

‘International force welcome’

The second stage of the Gaza truce plan involves further withdrawal of Israeli forces as a transitional authority is established, alongside the deployment of an international stabilization force.

The Hamas official outlined the group’s expectations for the agreement, welcoming the creation of an international force for supervision near the borders.

"We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting violations, preventing any kind of escalations," Naim stated.

However, he drew a clear line against any foreign military presence or operations within the territory, adding that "we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to operate inside the Palestinian territories."

In a sign of political progress toward post-ceasefire governance, Naim noted that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have advanced discussions on forming a new technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s daily affairs.

He said they have agreed upon a Palestinian Cabinet minister who lives in the West Bank but is originally from Gaza to head the committee.

‘History didn’t start on Oct. 7’

Asked whether the group regrets carrying out the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, Naim described it as a direct consequence of decades of Israeli policy dating back to the Nakba surrounding the regime’s establishment in 1948.

"History didn’t start on Oct. 7," he said, adding that the attack was a necessary response to years of occupation and aggression.

"Oct. 7 for us was an act of defense. We have done our duty to raise the voice of our people."

Hamas says its historic Al-Aqsa Flood operation was intended to lift the crippling 17-year siege on Gaza, protect the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque from repeated settler incursions, and challenge normalization of occupation policies, including daily raids into Palestinian cities and the continued administrative detention of thousands of Palestinians.

For the Palestinians, the operation was a dramatic attempt to break the status quo, reminding the international community of the urgent need for justice and the end of the apartheid system governing Palestinian life.