Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political bureau, has maintained that the group will keep its influence even after the fighting with Israel, * Al Jazeera* reports.

“Those who speak of ‘the day after’ must understand, the Palestinian people won’t have Hamas replaced,” Haniyeh said in a statement.

“Faced with the prices we paid,” he continued, “a national Palestinian plan must be promoted based on a unified leadership under the framework of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation’s institutions which will rule both Gaza and the West Bank.”

Haniyeh also said Hamas has not altered its position on a potential captive-prisoner exchange deal, insisting it must come with a full ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.