A senior Hamas official told Reuters that the terror organization intends to retain security control over Gaza during a transitional stage and cannot guarantee that it will disarm—positions that highlight the serious obstacles facing U.S. efforts to secure a permanent end to the war.
Mohammed Nazzal, a member of Hamas’s politburo, said the group would agree to a ceasefire lasting as long as five years to allow for the rebuilding of Gaza, provided there are assurances that Palestinians are granted “horizons and hope” for eventual statehood.
In an interview from Doha, where Hamas’s leadership is based, Nazzal defended the organization’s recent public executions in Gaza, claiming they were justified. He maintained there are always “exceptional measures” during wartime and alleged that those executed were “criminals guilty of killing.”
Although Hamas has voiced similar positions in the past, the timing of Nazzal’s statements underlines the deep divisions complicating the effort to finalize a lasting truce after the ceasefire’s first phase began, nearly a year after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.
His comments highlight major differences between Hamas’s stance and the framework outlined in President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, which is expected to guide upcoming talks focused on disarmament and postwar governance.
When asked about Nazzal’s remarks, the Prime Minister’s Office reaffirmed Israel’s adherence to the ceasefire agreement, emphasizing that Hamas has not fulfilled its obligations. “Hamas is supposed to release all hostages in stage 1. It has not. Hamas knows where the bodies of our hostages are. Hamas are to be disarmed under this agreement. No ifs, no buts. They have not. Hamas need to adhere to the 20-point plan. They are running out of time,” it told Reuters.
President Trump’s plan, announced on September 29, called for Hamas to first return all hostages and then disarm, with Gaza’s administration to be transferred to a technocratic council under the oversight of an international transitional authority.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu publicly backed the proposal, saying it would eliminate Hamas’s military infrastructure, end its political control, and ensure Gaza could never again pose a threat to Israel.
However, the ceasefire agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 9 by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and international mediators did not specifically mandate Hamas’s disarmament or the return of all deceased hostages before Israel began releasing Palestinian prisoners.
Despite facing severe military and diplomatic pressure, Hamas continues to resist surrendering its weapons or relinquishing command over Gaza. When asked whether the group would disarm, Nazzal said, “I can’t answer with a yes or no. Frankly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you’re talking about, what does it mean? To whom will the weapons be handed over?”
He explained that the question of arms would be part of future discussions involving not only Hamas but also other Palestinian factions, saying the matter “would require Palestinians more broadly to reach a position.”
When Reuters sought comment from Washington, the White House referred the outlet to President Trump’s statements from Thursday.
“We have a commitment from them and I assume they’re going to honor their commitment,” Trump said, noting that Hamas had returned additional bodies, though he did not directly address the issue of disarmament or the group’s continued presence in Gaza.
Nazzal also claimed that Hamas has no interest in keeping the remains of the hostages taken during the October 7 attacks. He said the group has already returned nine of the 28 bodies and blamed ongoing “technical problems” for delays in recovering the rest. He added that “international parties such as Turkey or the US” may assist in the process if necessary.
A Turkish official confirmed last week that Ankara would join a joint task force with Israel, the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt to help locate and recover the remaining bodies.
Hamas agreed on October 4 to transfer governing authority to a technocratic committee and to release all hostages, though it insisted that broader political issues must still be discussed “within a wider Palestinian framework.” All surviving hostages were freed on Monday.
Nazzal concluded that the next stage of negotiations, addressing these outstanding issues, would begin soon.
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