"We affirm that the fate of our Palestinian people, and the future of the Gaza Strip after defeating this criminal aggression, will be decided by the Palestinian people themselves and no one else… Their brave resistance will cut off the hand of the occupation that tries to interfere in the fate and future of our people," Hamas said.

The sharp rebuke comes in response to Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi's remarks on Tuesday outlining Israeli plans that aim to replace Hamas with "local Palestinians" "backed by Arab states" in Gaza governance on the day after.

Hanegbi added that the plan, slated for rollout in the coming days, is not contingent on the defeat of Hamas.

"We don’t have to wait for Hamas to disappear, because it is a long process," said Hanegbi, acknowledging that attempting to defeat Hamas through military force is a failed strategy.

"We can’t get rid of Hamas as an idea; there we need an alternative idea," he said, echoing statements previously made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell.

Israel's sustained bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza have killed at least 37,718 Palestinians - most of them women and children - in over eight months of the war, pushing the population to starvation, reducing the territory to rubble, and displacing over a million people multiple times.

The latest death toll includes at least 60 Palestinians killed by Israel over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 86,377 people had been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on 7 October.