A Hamas official has said that the group still needed time to study a plan for Gaza put forward by US President Donald Trump and backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, AFP reports.

“Hamas is still continuing consultations regarding Trump’s plan… and has informed mediators that the consultations are ongoing and need some time,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.

Mohammad Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, has said in a statement that the “plan has points of concern, and we will announce our position on it soon.”

“We are in contact with mediators and with Arab and Islamic parties, and we are serious about reaching understandings,” he added.

Another source familiar with the negotiations said that two opinions exist within Hamas. “The first supports unconditional approval, as the priority is a ceasefire under Trump’s guarantees, with mediators ensuring Israel implements the plan,” the source told AFP.

“The second has serious reservations regarding key clauses, rejecting disarmament and the expulsion of any Palestinian from Gaza. They favour conditional approval with clarifications reflecting Hamas’s and the resistance factions’ demands,” the source added.