The leader of Hamas in Gaza says he is willing to hand over his weapons to a future Palestinian Authority in Gaza if the Israeli occupation ends. Khalil al-Hayya says he accepts a UN force to oversee a ceasefire, but rejects any mission to disarm the group.

First modification: 07/12/2025 - 02:18

The second phase of President Donald Trump's plan to end Israel's war in Gaza, which has not yet been approved, calls for the disarmament of Hamas.

However, Hamas declared on Saturday, December 6, that it was willing to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian Authority that governs the territory, provided its occupation by the Israeli Army has ended.

"Our weapons are linked to the existence of occupation and aggression," Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' Gaza chief and chief negotiator for the Palestinian Islamist movement, said in a statement. He added: "If the occupation ends, these weapons will remain under the authority of the state."

Questioned by AFP, Khalil al-Hayya's office said he was talking about a sovereign, independent state of Palestine.

Rejection of imposed disarmament

"We accept the deployment of UN forces as disengagement forces, responsible for monitoring the borders and ensuring that the ceasefire in Gaza is respected," added Khalil al-Hayya, making clear his movement's refusal to deploy an international force in the Gaza Strip to disarm it.

After two years of devastating war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the mediating countries - Qatar, the United States and Egypt - have reached a ceasefire agreement, which came into force on October 10.

But the cessation of hostilities can only be considered complete after the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who is mediating the conflict between the occupied Palestinian territory and the Jewish state.

Adapted from its original French version

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