Senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad has stated that the organization will not participate in any disarmament process until Israeli forces completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip. This report comes from Middle East Eye.
In an interview with the Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera, Hamad said that Israel would have no role in the process of Hamas handing over weapons or disarming; instead, a Palestinian national committee would oversee this process.
He asserted that while Hamas has largely adhered to the ceasefire agreement in effect since last October, Israel has violated it by continuing a series of airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over a thousand Palestinians and injuries to many others.
Multiple Hamas sources indicated that the Palestinian technocratic committee—formed by the “Board of Peace” to administer Gaza—would be the sole body responsible for the storage and management of Hamas’s weapons.
In a separate statement to Reuters, Hamas reiterated that the issue of handing over weapons would only be considered after the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the assurance of adequate aid and goods entering Gaza.
Hamad said, “We have made it clear to the mediators that Israel must comply with all the terms of the agreement.”
He added that the technocratic committee formed to govern Gaza, along with an international force, would also need to oversee the process of dismantling Israel-backed armed groups in the territory.
On Friday, the Board of Peace announced in a statement that Hamas had formally agreed to the detailed framework for implementing the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.
A statement posted on X regarding this matter noted that the agreement was the result of lengthy discussions aimed at implementing US President Donald Trump’s plan for a new governance system, security, humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and economic recovery in Gaza. It also referenced UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Describing the development as a “historic breakthrough,” the statement said that Hamas would proceed with disarmament, followed by the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Meanwhile, there has been no official comment from the Israeli government on this matter. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet have repeatedly stated that the Israeli military will not withdraw from Gaza.
Earlier, in May of this year, Netanyahu announced that Israel aims to establish control over 70 percent of the Gaza Strip.
At the time, he said, “We currently control about 60 percent of Gaza. My directive is to increase this control to 70 percent.”
