DUBAI, October 14. /TASS/. The Hamas movement is ready to open a "new page" in relations with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Al Arabiya television channel reported citing a Hamas representative.
"We are ready to open a new page in relations with the Palestinian Authority," the channel's source said, noting that Hamas currently has no intention of conflict with the PNA.
The Palestinian Hamas movement believes that the issue of disarming the group's fighters in the Gaza Strip is exaggerated and will be resolved soon.
"Disarmament is a complex and complicated issue, but we will find a solution," an unnamed representative of the movement said.
"We only have basic weapons; this [problem] is being exaggerated," he added.
He noted that issues related to the surrender of weapons and the future governance of the Gaza Strip should be discussed on the basis of national consensus.
On Monday, Hamas and other Palestinian groups released all the 20 living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal. They also handed over bodies of four deceased hostages
The hostages were handed over to the Israeli military through the Red Cross and are already in Israel’s territory. In turn, Israel will release 1,968 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life or long sentences.
To mark the deal's conclusion, a peace summit was held in Sharm el-Sheikh. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, US President Donald Trump, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a final ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave. According to a document released by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s office, the summit highlighted the necessity of organizing consultations on mechanisms for the implementation of the subsequent phases of Trump’s plan, in particular such matters as the administration of the Gaza Strip, restoration of its infrastructure, and the political settlement of the situation in the enclave.
Hamas-PNA Conflict
In 2005, Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip and evacuated Jewish settlements as part of its unilateral disengagement plan. Control of Gaza was transferred to the PNA, which also governs the West Bank. However, in the first Palestinian parliamentary elections, Hamas emerged victorious, clashing with the more moderate Fatah movement, leading to a split between the factions. The radicals established complete control over the Strip, while their opponents retained power in the West Bank. The Palestinian president and his supporters regularly declared their desire to restore Palestinian Authority jurisdiction over Gaza.