Hamas official: We’re ready to release all hostages, living and dead, at end of war; won’t disarm

Tahir al-Nono, a senior Hamas official, tells the Qatari channel Al-Arabi that the terror group is ready to release hostages upon the end of the war, in response to a question whether Hamas would agree to release all the captives within 48 hours, as reported to be part of the American plan.

“The presence of the prisoners with Hamas is connected to ending the war and the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip. Whether this happens in the first days [of the agreement], in the middle, or gradually — this will be part of the discussion. We are ready to release all the prisoners we hold, both the living and the dead. Their presence is temporary until the end of the war and a dignified exchange [of prisoners],” he says.

He adds: “There are prisoners [hostages] who have died, and equipment is required to retrieve their bodies. This takes time, and we have already said this during the negotiations. We are ready to release them all as part of a comprehensive agreement to end the war and secure the withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip.”

Al-Nono stresses: “Regarding the latest plan — we have not received it, and we are not part of the negotiations on it, neither directly nor indirectly. Once we receive the plan officially and the organization’s leadership studies it, we will announce our clear position.”

Al-Nono adds that Hamas is ready for an agreement with the Palestinian Authority [regarding the day after], saying: “From day one, we have said that we are interested in a technocratic government to rule both Gaza and the West Bank. The problem is not between us and the Authority.”

He reiterates Hamas’s stance that it refuses to disarm: “Our position [Hamas’s] regarding this [disarmament] is clear — armed resistance is the right of the Palestinian people as long as there is occupation. If the Palestinian people are liberated and the Palestinian state is established, then there will be no need for resistance and weapons, and this will be part of the Palestinian entity.”