Senior Hamas Official Says Gaza Terrorists Are Not About To Lay Down Weapons

A senior Hamas official is flatly rejecting international demands for the group’s disarmament, calling the possession of weapons a “right” of the Palestinian people as long as Israel continues to maintain troops in the Strip.Speaking at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Sunday, Khaled Meshaal described the push to demilitarize the Gaza Strip as a strategic attempt to leave Palestinians vulnerable.“In the context that our people are still under occupation, talking about disarmament is an attempt to make our people an easy victim to be eliminated and easily exterminated by Israel,” Mr. Meshaal told a panel titled “Gaza After Two Years of War.”Mr. Meshaal’s comments come during a fragile second phase of a ceasefire brokered by President Trump. While the Trump administration and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have insisted that any long-term peace depends on Hamas laying down its arms, Mr. Mashal is proposing what he terms an “alternative approach.”Mr. Meshaal claims Hamas has communicated a “vision of guarantees” to mediators in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. This proposal reportedly includes a ceasefire lasting between five and 10 years, a commitment to conceal and not use weapons during the reconstruction period, and the presence of international forces on Gaza’s borders to maintain peace.Mr. Meshaal argues that the “danger comes from Israel, not from Gaza,” and claims that mediators have shown an “understanding” of this framework. However, there has been no official confirmation from the United States or Israel that such a proposal is being seriously considered.The Hamas leader, who heads the group’s operations abroad, also took aim at proposals for the post-war administration of Gaza. While a technocratic committee has been established to handle day-to-day governance, Mr. Meshaal warned against any form of “guardianship.”“We will not accept foreign rule,” Mr. Meshaal stated. “Palestinians are to govern Palestinians. Gaza belongs to the people of Gaza and to Palestine.”The forum, which also featured the foreign minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, drew sharp condemnation from Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry described the event as a “gathering of jihadists,” specifically criticizing the inclusion of Messrs. Meshaal and Araghchi.Mr. Meshaal concluded by urging Arab and Islamic nations to pursue Israel through legal and political channels to “strip it of international legitimacy.”With Gaza entering a third year of war precipitated by its October 7, 2023, attack against Israel, Mr. Mashal’s rhetoric highlights the massive gap between Hamas’s “resistance project” and the demilitarization requirements set by Western and Israeli officials for the enclave’s full reconstruction.Mr. Trump plans to convene the first meeting of his Board of Peace this month in Washington to raise money for the reconstruction of Gaza. The meeting, proposed for February 19, would include both world leaders who accepted Mr. Trump’s invitation in January to join the board as well as members of an executive committee for Gaza that will oversee the specifics of the territory’s governance, security and redevelopment, two Trump administration officials told the Associated Press over the weekend.

Senior Hamas Official Says Gaza Terrorists Are Not About To Lay Down Weapons

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