Mousa Abu Marzouq
Mousa Abu MarzouqReuters

The Hamas terrorist organization has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with the administration of US President Donald Trump, according to a report by Russia's RIA state news agency published on Tuesday night.

"We are ready for contact and talks with the Trump administration," RIA quoted senior Hamas Politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouq as saying.

"In the past, we did not object to contacts with the administration of Biden, Trump, or any other US administration, and we are open to talks with all international parties," he added.

Marzouq told RIA that given Washington’s influential role in the Middle East, engaging with the US has become a necessity for Hamas.

"That is why we welcomed the talks with the Americans and have no objection to this issue," he said.

It remains unclear when Marzouq's interview with RIA took place, but his comments were published after Trump stated, during a press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the US intends to take control of the Gaza Strip after relocating its residents and focusing on its economic development.

Earlier, while taking questions from reporters alongside Netanyahu, Trump spoke of his plan to relocate Gazans to Egypt, Jordan and other countries and said the plan is to “get a beautiful area to resettle people, permanently.”

Hamas officials denounced Trump’s plan, describing it as "racist" and "an overt attempt to eliminate the Palestinian issue and renounce the national rights of the Palestinian people."