Hamas terrorists would be willing to "freeze or store" their weapons as part of a ceasefire with Israel in order to "avoid further escalations," Shura Council member Bassem Naim told the Associated Press in Doha on Sunday.
Naim stated that the terror group retains its "right to resist," but would be willing to lay down its arms as part of a process aiming towards establishing a Palestinian state.
"This time has to be used seriously and in a comprehensive way," he told AP, adding that Hamas is "very open-minded" about what should be done with their terror weaponry.
"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," he continued.
Naim also commented that US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan required "a lot of clarifications."
One issue he raised was that of the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF).
Hamas says foreign forces in Gaza are 'unacceptable'
US officials said they expect "boots on the ground" early next year, AP noted, which Naim said would be unacceptable to Hamas.
"We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations," he told the outlet.
"But we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to do or to be implemented inside the Palestinian territories," he continued.
He added that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have made progress in forming a technocratic committee to run Gaza’s civil affairs, with a minister originally from Gaza expected to lead it. Hamas officials have identified him as Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan.
Naim acknowledged that Palestinians "paid a heavy price" for Hamas committing the October 7 massacre, but insisted that the terror group does not regret the attack.
"History did not start on October 7. For us, it was an act of defense. We have done our duty to raise... the voice of our people," he said.