DOHA — Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk said early Saturday the Palestinian resistance group had agreed “in principle” to US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal for Gaza, endorsing its main outlines while stressing that implementation would require negotiations.

In an interview with Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Abu Marzouk said Hamas “will hand over its weapons to a future Palestinian state,” noting that the fate of Palestinians is a “national matter that Hamas alone cannot decide.”

“We agreed to the U.S. plan in its main outlines, as a principle,” he said, adding that implementation “requires detailed negotiations through mediators.”

Abu Marzouk said Hamas was prepared to enter negotiations over all issues, including the group’s weapons and the details of an international peacekeeping force.

“Shaping the future of the Palestinian people is a national issue that Hamas alone cannot decide,” he said, calling on Washington to “look positively at the future of the Palestinian people.”

He confirmed that there was a national agreement to transfer Gaza’s administration to independents under the Palestinian Authority and rejected labeling Hamas as a terrorist group, describing it instead as a national liberation movement.

Earlier Friday, Hamas announced it had approved the release of all Israeli captives, the delivery of deceased bodies, and the transfer of Gaza’s administration to an independent technocratic body as part of its response to Trump’s plan.

The group said other issues concerning Gaza’s future would be tied to a unified Palestinian position.

Israel estimates that 48 Israeli captives remain in Gaza, including 20 alive, while around 11,100 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israel.

Trump has given Hamas until 6 p.m. Washington time (2200 GMT) on Sunday to approve his plan, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, Gaza’s reconstruction, and the enclave’s reorganization under a transitional technocratic authority overseen by an international body led by the U.S. president.

The plan requires Hamas to disarm, release captives within 72 hours, and accept Israel’s gradual withdrawal. In return, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be freed from Israeli jails.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza’s 2.4 million residents for nearly 18 years, tightening it further in March. Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian and international reports.

The United Nations has warned Gaza is becoming uninhabitable, with famine and disease spreading rapidly amid mass displacement. — Agencies