A senior official in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said on Sunday that it is prepared to discuss the issue of “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire agreement with Israel, thus offering a possible formula for resolving one of the most complex issues in the US-brokered agreement.
The remarks by Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, the body responsible for decision-making, came as the parties prepare to move to the second and more complex phase of the agreement.
“We are open to adopting a comprehensive approach to avoid further escalation or to prevent any further clashes or explosions,” Bassem Naim told the Associated Press (AP) in the Qatari capital, Doha, where most of the movement’s leaders are based.
Naim explained that Hamas retains its “right to resist”; but added that the movement is prepared to lay down its weapons as part of a process aimed at achieving the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Although Naim did not go into details on how this would be implemented, he suggested a long-term truce of five or ten years to allow for discussions.
A member of Hamas' political bureau stressed that"this time must be used seriously and comprehensively," adding that "Hamas is very open about the available options regarding its weapons."
The leader of the Palestinian resistance movement continued: “We can talk about freezing, storing, or dropping weapons, with Palestinian guarantees that they will not be used at all during the ceasefire or truce period.”
The ceasefire is based on a 20-point plan presented by US President Donald Trump last October, with the participation of international parties as “guarantor states”.
Naeem noted that “the plan needs many clarifications,” while the issue of deploying the international stabilization force is among the most urgent steps currently, and one of the key issues is whether this force will assume responsibility for disarming Hamas.
Naeem stressed that this would be unacceptable to Hamas, and the movement expects the force to monitor the implementation of the agreement. He added: “We welcome an international force that is near the border, monitoring the ceasefire agreement, reporting violations, and preventing any potential escalation.”
The same spokesperson added: “We do not accept that these forces be given any kind of mandate that would authorize them to carry out or implement anything within Palestinian territory.”
In a sign of progress, Naim explained that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority had made progress on forming the “new technocratic committee” that would take over the day-to-day running of Gaza.
He said that the Authority and the movement agreed that a minister in the Palestinian government who resides in the West Bank, but whose origins are from Gaza, would head the committee.
Naim did not disclose the name of the official in question, but Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations, said that this minister was Health Minister Majid Abu Ramadan.
