Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump have insisted that the terror group must give up its weapons in the near future. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Hamas \u201cpromised\u201d to lay down its arms, and has threatened the group over the issue.<\/p>\n
At least publicly, however, Hamas has never agreed to lay down its arms.<\/p>\n
\t Trump\u2019s 20-point plan for Gaza explicitly says that Hamas must give up its weapons, but the Hamas statement endorsing the plan contained significant caveats and did not directly mention disarmament.<\/p>\n Hamas has repeatedly said that disarmament is a red line, although it has indicated it could consider handing over its weapons to a future Palestinian governing authority.<\/p>\n Israel has warned it could renew its military campaign in the enclave if Hamas does not disarm.<\/p>\n In December, Mashaal said<\/a> the terror group can \u201cstore\u201d its weapons, but won\u2019t give them up.<\/p>\n \u201cDisarmament for a Palestinian means stripping away his very soul,\u201d Mashaal said in an interview with Al Jazeera at the time.<\/p>\n Israeli officials say Hamas still has around 20,000 fighters and large amounts of weaponry, including tens of thousands of rifles.<\/p>\n A Palestinian technocratic committee has been set up with a goal of taking over the day-to-day governance in the battered Strip, but it remains unclear whether, or how, it will address the issue of demilitarization.<\/p>\n \t The committee operates under the so-called \u201cBoard of Peace,\u201d an initiative launched by Trump.<\/p>\n Originally conceived to oversee the Gaza truce and postwar reconstruction, the board\u2019s mandate has since expanded to global conflicts in general, prompting concerns among critics that it could evolve into a rival to the United Nations.<\/p>\n Trump unveiled the board<\/a> at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos last month, where leaders and officials from nearly two dozen countries joined him in signing its founding charter.<\/p>\n Alongside the Board of Peace, Trump also created a Gaza Executive Board \u2014 an advisory panel to the Palestinian technocratic committee \u2014 comprising international figures including US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as former British prime minister Tony Blair.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Mashaal urged the Board of Peace to adopt what he called a \u201cbalanced approach\u201d that would allow for Gaza\u2019s reconstruction and the flow of aid to its roughly 2.2 million residents, while warning that Hamas would \u201cnot accept foreign rule\u201d over Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n \u201cWe adhere to our national principles and reject the logic of guardianship, external intervention, or the return of a mandate in any form,\u201d Mashaal said.<\/p>\n \u201cPalestinians are to govern Palestinians. Gaza belongs to the people of Gaza and to Palestine. We will not accept foreign rule,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n Mashaal was among the senior Hamas leaders that Israel targeted in a September strike on Qatar. However, the mission failed to kill the intended targets<\/a>, and Israel later apologized to Qatar<\/a> for the incident.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tHamas fighters are deployed in Rafah ahead of the planned release of two among six Israeli hostages set to be handed over to the Red Cross, Gaza Strip, on February 22, 2025. (AP\/Jehad Alshrafi)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AFP__20260122__93M42U2__v2__HighRes__TopshotSwitzerlandUsPoliticsEconomyDiplomacy-e1769368591698-640.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tWorld leaders and top diplomats with US President Donald Trump (center) holding a signed founding charter at the \u2018Board of Peace\u2019 meeting during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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