JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The New York Times reported overnight Sunday that Hamas is willing to give up several thousand automatic rifles and additional weapons belonging to its policing forces, according to two sources within the organization.

The report stated that this would be an “unusual concession” by Hamas, which until now has publicly refused to surrender any weapons. The sources said Hamas is prepared to hand over the weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee affiliated with the Palestinian Authority, established as part of the U.S. administration’s “Peace Council” plan.

It was also emphasized that the proposal from the two Hamas sources falls far short of full disarmament or the demilitarization of Gaza, the main demand of Israel and a key element of Donald Trump’s plan. When asked whether the technocratic committee would be able to confiscate weapons belonging to Hamas’s military wing, the sources did not provide a clear answer.

Both sources belong to the Hamas office responsible for the Gaza Strip and responded anonymously to written questions submitted by the newspaper.

These remarks come amid a proposal by Nikolay Mladenov, director of the Peace Council, under which Hamas would begin disarming as a condition for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. During discussions held last week in Egypt, senior Hamas officials did not give a positive response to the proposal, saying they would “hold consultations,” according to reports in Arab media.