JAKARTA - Senior officials of the militant group Hamas said they would continue to rule the Gaza Strip until alternatives to government are found.

A 12-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas means that " practically, we can say the war is over," Taher Nounou told The Associated Press in Cairo on Thursday, as quoted January 31.

However, he said, the end must be ensured by reaching an agreement in the second phase of the ceasefire.

When asked if Hamas believed he had won the war, Nounou said, "Palestinian people are not defeated. The enemy has not achieved its goals," including eliminating Hamas or forcibly releasing the hostages accompanying Hamas.

Furthermore, Hamas has negotiated with the West Bank-centric Palestinian Authority over a potential government system for Gaza.

Nounou said Hamas approved Egypt's proposal to hand over Gaza management to a "committee supporting the community" consisting of independent technocrats. Or, Hamas accepts the formation of a national consensus government that will regulate the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

However, he said Fatah, the main faction in the West-backed PA, had rejected both ideas.

"Until one of the two options is adopted, there will be no vacancy. The current government (led by Hamas) will bear its responsibility to our people. And this is what is happening at this time," he said.

Israel said it would not back down without ensuring Hamas was over as a political and military force and could not arm again.

However, Israel has not provided a coherent alternative to the Hamas government in Gaza. Israel also rejects any role for the Palestinian Authority in carrying out Gaza.

Nounou himself is a member of the Hamas political bureau and media adviser to the leader of the militant group in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya. Both are based in Doha, Qatar


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