Hamas’ armed wing said Sunday that any discussion of disarmament before Israel fully implements the first phase of a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire is unacceptable, describing such demands as an attempt to continue what it called genocide against Palestinians.
In a televised statement, Hamas' armed wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida said raising the issue of weapons "in a crude manner" would not be accepted.
The issue of Hamas relinquishing its weapons is a major obstacle in talks to implement U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed "Board of Peace" plan for Gaza, aimed at cementing a ceasefire that halted two years of full-scale fighting last October.
Hamas has told mediators it will not discuss disarmament without guarantees that Israel will completely quit Gaza, three sources told Reuters last week.
"What the enemy is trying to push through today against the Palestinian resistance, via our brotherly mediators, is extremely dangerous," he said.
He said the disarmament demands were "nothing but an overt attempt to continue the genocide against our people, something we will not accept under any circumstances."
It was not immediately clear whether the comments amounted to a formal rejection of the U.S.-backed disarmament plan, and Hamas political officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israeli war on Gaza, retaliating to a cross-border Hamas attack on southern Israel, killed more than 72,000 people, wounded over 172,000, and displaced much of Gaza’s two million population. Israel’s brutal onslaught left the enclave largely in ruins, destroying about 90% of civilian infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the U.N. at around $70 billion.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, Israel continued violations of the agreement, with Gaza's Health Ministry reporting 713 Palestinians killed and 1,940 injured since the ceasefire.
Abu Ubaida urged mediators to pressure Israel to fulfil its commitments under the first phase of the Trump plan before any discussion of the second phase can take place.
"The enemy is the one who undermines the agreement," he said.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on his remarks.
