Hamas Offers Weapons "Freeze" Instead of Disarmament in Gaza Peace Negotiations

Hamas has expressed willingness to consider a weapons "freeze" but firmly rejected complete disarmament demands outlined in the US-sponsored Gaza peace plan, according to a senior Hamas leader.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Khaled Meshaal stated, "The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance. What is being proposed is a freeze, or storage of weapons to provide guarantees against any military escalation from Gaza with the Israeli occupation."

Meshaal suggested that this compromise approach could potentially gain traction, saying, "This is the idea we're discussing with the mediators, and I believe that with pragmatic American thinking such a vision could be agreed upon with the US administration."

The current US-sponsored ceasefire, in effect since October 10, has temporarily halted the conflict that began after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. However, the truce remains precarious with both sides regularly accusing each other of violations.

The peace agreement consists of three distinct phases. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu recently indicated that the agreement is approaching its second phase, which would require Israeli forces to further withdraw from Gaza positions, to be replaced by an international stabilization force (ISF), while Hamas would surrender its weapons.

Netanyahu plans to meet with US President Trump later this month to discuss advancing the truce further.

However, Hamas has clearly signaled its unwillingness to relinquish its arsenal completely. "Disarmament for a Palestinian means stripping away his very soul. Let's achieve that goal another way," Meshaal emphasized.

The first phase of the agreement involved Palestinian militants releasing remaining hostages held in Gaza. All captives have been released except for one body. In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned hundreds of Palestinian remains.

Regarding the proposed international peacekeeping force, Meshaal indicated openness to deployment along Gaza's border with Israel but rejected any presence inside Palestinian territory, which he characterized as "occupation."

"We have no objection to international forces or international stabilization forces being deployed along the border, like UNIFIL," he explained, referencing the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border. "They would separate Gaza from the occupation."

"As for the presence of international forces inside Gaza, in Palestinian culture and consciousness that means an occupying force," he added.

Meshaal suggested that mediators along with Arab and Islamic nations could serve as "guarantors" to prevent escalation from within Gaza, concluding that "The danger comes from the Zionist entity, not from Gaza," referring to Israel.