DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or stockpiling” its weapons arsenal as part of a cease-fire with Israel, a senior official said Sunday, offering a possible formula for resolving one of the thorniest issues in the U.S.-brokered deal.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s decision-making political bureau, spoke as the parties prepared to move on to the second and more complex phase of the deal.
“We are open to a comprehensive approach to avoid further conflict or further clashes or explosions,” Naim told The Associated Press in the Qatari capital Doha, where most of the group’s leadership is based.
The agreement halted the Israeli offensive on Gaza, which began in response to an October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. Asked if the attack was a mistake, Naeem defended it as an “act of self-defense”.
A more difficult step
Since the ceasefire took effect in October, Hamas and Israel have conducted a series of Israeli hostage exchanges for Palestinian prisoners. With only the remains of one hostage in Gaza – an Israeli policeman killed in the October 7 attack – the sides are poised to enter a second phase.
The new phase aims to determine the future for war-torn Gaza and promises to be more difficult – addressing issues such as the deployment of an international security force, the formation of a technical Palestinian committee in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory and the disarmament of Hamas. An international board led by President Donald Trump will oversee the implementation of the agreement and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Israeli demands for Hamas to lay down its weapons are particularly tough — promises that Israeli officials say is a key demand that could block progress in other areas. Hamas’s ideology is deeply rooted in what it calls armed resistance against Israel, and its leaders have rejected calls to surrender despite more than two years of war that has devastated large parts of Gaza and killed thousands of Palestinians.
Naim said Hamas maintains its “right to resist,” but the group is ready to lay down its arms as part of a process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state. He gave few details on how it might work, but suggested a long-term ceasefire of five or 10 years for discussion.
“This time must be used seriously and comprehensively,” he said, adding that Hamas is “very open-minded” about what to do with its weapons.
“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying it down with the Palestinian guarantee, not using it during the ceasefire or the cease-fire,” he said.
It is unclear whether the proposal meets Israel’s demand for complete disarmament.
Many questions remain
The cease-fire is based on a 20-point plan Trump presented with international “guarantor” nations in October.
The plan, adopted by the UN Security Council, offers a general way forward. But it was unclear on details or timelines and would require painstaking negotiations involving the United States and guarantors that include Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
“The plan needs a lot of clarification,” Naim said.
The most immediate concern is the deployment of an international stabilization force.
Several countries, including Indonesia, have expressed willingness to contribute troops to the army, but its exact makeup, command structure and responsibilities have not been defined. US officials expect “boots on the ground” to arrive early next year.
A key question is whether the force will take on the issue of disarmament.
Naim said this would be unacceptable to Hamas, and the group expects the force to monitor the deal.
“We welcome the UN troops to be near the border, to monitor the ceasefire agreement, to report on violations, to prevent any kind of conflict,” he said. “But we do not accept that these forces have any kind of mandate to do or enforce in the Palestinian territories.”
In a sign of progress, Naim said Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority had made progress in forming a new technical committee to run Gaza’s day-to-day affairs. He said they had agreed to head the committee with a Palestinian cabinet minister who lives in the West Bank, but is originally from Gaza. He did not give his name, but Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, identified him as Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan.
First stage complications
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of repeatedly violating the agreement in the first phase.
Israel accuses Hamas of delaying the return of hostages, while Palestinian health officials say 370 Palestinians have been killed in continuous Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect.
Israel said its attack was in response to Palestinian violations, including the movement of Palestinians into the Israeli-controlled half of Gaza. Three soldiers were killed in clashes with about 200 Hamas militants holed up underground in Israeli-controlled territory, Israeli and Egyptian officials said.
Naim said that Hamas “did not know” about these gunmen when the ceasefire was signed and that communication with them had been “completely cut”.
“So, they don’t know what is happening on the ground right now,” he said.
He claimed that Israel had rejected Hamas’ offer to resolve the standoff and added several “conditions” to their surrender. Israel has not accepted the talks and says it has killed dozens.
Naim said Hamas was committed to “fulfilling its obligations” and claimed Israel had not fulfilled key promises, including not flooding Gaza with humanitarian supplies and failing to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Most of the supplies entering Gaza, he said, are goods sold by private traders for pennies to Gaza’s few people, leaving a poor population struggling without food or shelter.
Last week, Israel said it was ready to reopen Rafah – Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world – but only for people to leave the Strip. Egypt and the Palestinians fear it is a plot to expel Palestinians from Gaza and say Israel is obliged to open the crossing in both directions.
Nayim called October 7 an ‘act of defence’
More than 1,200 people died and more than 250 were taken hostage in the October 7 attack. It is the deadliest attack in Israel’s history and has been a source of great national shock.
Israel’s retaliatory attacks have killed 70,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced nearly 2 million people in Gaza and caused widespread damage that will take years to rebuild. It is not clear who will pay for the reconstruction or when it will begin.
The Palestinian Health Ministry, part of the Hamas government in Gaza, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but says that about half of the dead were women and children.
Naim acknowledged that Palestinians paid a heavy price for October 7, but when asked if the group regretted the attack, he insisted that it was in response to years of Israeli policies going back to the war surrounding Israel’s establishment in 1948.
“History didn’t begin on October 7,” he said. “For us October 7, it was an act of defense. We have fulfilled our duty to raise the voice of our people.”
