Hamas has issued a statement saying it is ready for a second phase in which all of the captives held in Gaza are exchanged in “one go”, Al Jazeera reports.

In the same statement, the Palestinian group rejected Israel’s call for its disarmament and removal from the Gaza Strip.

“The occupation’s condition of removing Hamas from the Gaza Strip is a ridiculous psychological war, and the withdrawal or disarmament of the resistance from Gaza is unacceptable,” Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for the group, was quoted as saying.