In early February, Turkish newspaper Sabah reported that Ankara was ready to be a security guarantor for Palestine through its military presence in the region.
"Our demands remain in effect. We want Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Russia and the UN to be guarantors," Haniyeh told A Haber channel.
Hamas would also like to see the United States among the guarantors, however, Israel stands strongly against it, the politician added.
Haniyeh said that the US, which does not exert any pressure on Israel, is hindering the truce agreement from being concluded. Israel is only seeking the release of hostages and is not willing to sign a truce agreement, the politician added.
"All it [Israel] wants is to take back the prisoners and then restart the war in Gaza, and this is not possible. The Israeli army must completely withdraw from Gaza. Israel also does not want the displaced people to return to northern Gaza. It accepts a limited and gradual return. It is unacceptable," Haniyeh told the Anadolu news agency.
Israel also wants the US to take part in its military action against Iran, the politician said.
"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu does not want to end the war in Gaza. On the contrary, he wants to expand its framework for a regional war. Similarly, they want the Americans to be part of the military front against Iran, and a part of the military wing that serves Israel," he said.
Hamas is not insisting on unilateral rule of the enclave after the conflict but is capable of forming a government, Haniyeh said.
"Gaza is governed by Palestinians. These are national issues. We will not allow the situation of Palestine in Gaza, the West Bank, or both to be regulated by occupiers or anyone else," he said.
Several alternative options for the governance of the Gaza Strip have been proposed but none was successful, Haniyeh added.
Hanyeh also called on Western countries to prevent Israel from a ground operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 34,000 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
On April 7, a new round of the Israeli-Hamas talks started in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The ceasefire proposal made at the talks provided for the release of 40 Israeli hostages in exchange for 900 Palestinian prisoners as a part of a three-stage plan adopted by international mediators. Hamas largely rejected the proposal, saying it would present its own plan for a permanent end to the conflict in the region.