Hamas has stated that it will not surrender its weapons as part of a long-term ceasefire in Gaza. However, the organization indicated that only the weapons of the Palestinian police would be visible on the streets of Gaza. Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, made these remarks in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera. He stated that once the national committee assumes responsibility for Gaza’s administration, no weapons other than those belonging to the police force under the committee’s authority would be seen in public. However, this does not mean that Hamas will hand over its weapons.
Discussions regarding the future of the weapons will take place at the national level among various Palestinian factions. Hamas’s stance comes as a delegation from the organization prepares to travel to Cairo to resume talks. Eight major Palestinian political and armed groups will participate in the meeting, which aims to establish a unified national position on the Gaza ceasefire. Badran claimed that Israel has not implemented even 30 percent of the commitments made in the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire proposal. He noted that while 600 aid trucks were supposed to enter daily, currently only 150 to 250 trucks are entering Gaza.
The state of electricity, hospitals, and fuel infrastructure remains dire. Meanwhile, Israel has been demanding the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups as a condition for moving to the second phase of the ceasefire. However, a new proposal presented at the United Nations states that no Palestinian group would be required to hand over its weapons to Israel; instead, the weapons would be deactivated in stages, and control over them would pass to the national committee administering Gaza. Palestinian political analyst Wissam Afifa has alleged that Israel is using the time during negotiations to expand its control over Gaza.
He claims that while ceasefire talks are ongoing, the country is effectively seizing control of new areas. On the other hand, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated that Hamas has completed the necessary preparations to hand over administrative and security responsibilities in Gaza to the national committee. Amidst the continuing political deadlock, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening.
