A senior leader of Hamas reaffirmed the movement’s stance against disarmament and foreign intervention in Gaza during a conference held in Doha. Khaled Meshal, who previously led the group, emphasized that the Palestinian Islamist movement would maintain its weapons in the face of U.S. and Israeli demands to demilitarize.
“Criminalizing the resistance, its weapons, and those who carried it out is something we should not accept,” Meshal declared, asserting that resistance remains a fundamental right for occupied peoples. He stated, “As long as there is occupation, there is resistance… something nations take pride in.”
Hamas, which has been engaged in armed struggle against what it considers Israel’s occupation since its inception, launched a significant cross-border attack into Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023. This assault marked the beginning of the latest escalation in conflict.
Currently, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza is in its second phase, which aims for the demilitarization of the region, specifically targeting the disarmament of Hamas, along with a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces. While officials estimate that Hamas retains about 20,000 fighters and 60,000 rifles in Gaza, the group has consistently asserted that disarmament is non-negotiable. However, it has proposed the possibility of transferring its weapons to a future Palestinian governing body.
Amid these discussions, a Palestinian technocratic committee has been established to manage daily governance in the devastated Gaza Strip. The committee, operating under the so-called “Board of Peace” initiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump, faces scrutiny regarding how it will handle demilitarization.
The Board of Peace was designed to oversee the Gaza truce and subsequent reconstruction efforts. However, its extended mandate has raised concerns that it might challenge the authority of the United Nations. Trump introduced the board at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where leaders from nearly two dozen countries endorsed its founding.
In conjunction with the Board of Peace, Trump also established a Gaza Executive Board, comprising international figures such as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to serve as an advisory body to the Palestinian technocratic committee.
At the Doha conference, Meshal called on the Board of Peace to adopt what he described as a “balanced approach” that facilitates Gaza’s reconstruction and ensures the flow of aid to the territory’s approximately 2.2 million residents. He firmly rejected any form of foreign governance over Palestinian territories, stating, “We adhere to our national principles and reject the logic of guardianship, external intervention, or the return of a mandate in any form.” He concluded by asserting that “Palestinians are to govern Palestinians,” reiterating that Gaza belongs to its people and the broader Palestinian nation.
