News Desk
11 October 2025, 10:36 PM IST
Hamas has announced it will skip the formal signing of the Gaza peace deal in Egypt, citing concerns over upcoming challenges in the negotiation process
Photo: AFP
A Hamas official told AFP that the group will not participate in the formal signing of the Gaza peace deal in Egypt.
“The matter of the official signing – we will not be involved,” said political bureau member Hossam Badran, explaining that Hamas “acted principally through… Qatari and Egyptian mediators” during ceasefire discussions.
Badran dismissed suggestions in US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan that Hamas members leave Gaza as “absurd.” “Talk about expelling Palestinians, whether they’re Hamas members or not, from their land is absurd and nonsense,” he said.
Hamas has also ruled out disarmament, which is included in Trump’s plan, calling any proposed weapons handover “out of the question and not negotiable,” a Hamas official told AFP. Trump has said the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of the plan.
Earlier, Hamas had indicated that it was prepared to respond militarily if Trump’s peace proposal collapses. “We hope that we will not return to (war), but our Palestinian people and the resistance force will undoubtedly confront and use all their capabilities to repel this aggression if this battle is imposed,” Badran said. He also warned that the forthcoming Gaza peace talks are expected to be “difficult.”
The ceasefire entered its second day on Saturday, providing a tentative calm as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their neighbourhoods. Bulldozers cleared streets thick with dust and debris from two years of conflict.
Around 200 US troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire and establish a centre to facilitate humanitarian aid, while also providing logistical and security support. The head of the US military’s Central Command visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare for these efforts.
Aid organisations have called on Israel to reopen more border crossings to allow essential assistance into Gaza. A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel approved expanded aid deliveries starting Sunday.
The World Food Programme said it was ready to reopen 145 food distribution points across the territory once Israel allows expanded access. Before the closure of Gaza in March, UN agencies provided food at 400 locations. Currently, only four sites operated by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation have been distributing aid since late May.
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid, reported that more than 500 trucks entered Gaza on Friday, though numerous crossings remain closed. Some 170,000 metric tons of food aid are waiting in neighbouring countries for Israeli authorisation to resume deliveries.
(With inputs from AFP)
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