 "Top Hamas leader says disarmament or any 'foreign rule' in Gaza is unacceptable")
A senior Hamas leader has said the Palestinian Islamist movement will not surrender its weapons or accept foreign intervention in Gaza, rejecting demands from the US and Israel.
Speaking at a conference in Doha on Sunday, Khaled Mashaal said disarming the group was unacceptable. “Criminalising the resistance, its weapons, and those who carried it out is something we should not accept,” he said.
‘Resistance is a right,’ says Mashaal
Mashaal argued that armed resistance was a legitimate response to occupation. “As long as there is occupation, there is resistance. Resistance is a right of peoples under occupation — something nations take pride in,” said Mashaal, who previously headed the group.
October 7 attack and Gaza war
Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by many countries, launched a cross-border attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023. The assault killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and led to 251 hostages being taken, triggering the Gaza war.
Ceasefire enters second phase
A US-brokered ceasefire reached in October is now in its second phase. The agreement envisages the demilitarisation of Gaza, including the disarmament of Hamas, along with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
US and Israel press Hamas to disarm
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have insisted that Hamas must give up its weapons. Trump has repeatedly said the group had “promised” to disarm and has warned it over the issue.
Hamas has consistently described disarmament as a red line, though it has indicated it could consider transferring its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.
Hamas strength and weapons
Israeli officials say Hamas still has around 20,000 fighters and tens of thousands of rifles in Gaza.
A Palestinian technocratic committee has been set up to take over day-to-day governance in the Gaza Strip. However, it remains unclear how the body would address the issue of demilitarisation.
The committee operates under the so-called “Board of Peace”, an initiative launched by President Trump. Initially meant to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and post-war reconstruction, the board’s expanded mandate has raised concerns among critics.
Trump unveiled the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. Alongside it, he also announced a Gaza Executive Board, an advisory panel that includes US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as former British prime minister Tony Blair.