Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said on Sunday that he renews the movement’s proposal regarding its weapons, which stipulates that it “should not be displayed,” adding that it will not accept “foreign rule” in the Gaza Strip, after the start of the second phase of the armistice agreement, which stipulates its disarmament and the formation of an international committee to govern the Palestinian Strip. While Israel and the United States adhere to the demand of disarming Hamas and making Gaza a demilitarized zone.

Published on: 02/08/2026 - 15:25

At the 17th Doha Forum, the head of Hamas’s political bureau abroad, Khaled Meshaal, said on Sunday, “Criminalizing the resistance, the weapons of the resistance, and those who carried out the resistance, is something we should not accept.”

He added, "As long as there is occupation, there is resistance. Resistance is the right of the peoples under occupation and is part of international law and divine laws."

Weapon "in the hands of chaos and militias"

The Palestinian official added, "The forms of resistance change, sometimes revolution, sometimes intifada, sometimes armed resistance, and even martyrdom operations."

Meshaal believed that "Israel wants to take Palestinian weapons and put them in the hands of chaos, militias, and assassinations," referring to the Palestinian armed groups opposed to Hamas that are suspected of being supported by Israel.

He also considered that the acceptable proposal for weapons is to achieve a guarantee that "this weapon will not be used or displayed."

The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas entered into force on October 10, after two years of devastating war, and based on an American plan that was later supported by a UN Security Council resolution.

Its first phase stipulated the exchange of hostages held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, the cessation of hostilities, Israel’s withdrawal from populated areas in the Palestinian Strip, and the entry of aid into it.

Deploying an international stabilization force

In addition, the second phase began with the discovery of the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza on January 26. It stipulates the disarmament of Hamas, the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army that controls about half of the Strip, the deployment of an international stabilization force aimed at helping secure Gaza and the training of Palestinian police units.

Under the plan, a “peace council” was formed headed by US President Donald Trump and includes figures from countries around the world to supervise the governance of Gaza, and a Palestinian technocratic committee to manage the daily affairs of the Strip.

“It will not accept foreign rule.”

On Sunday, Meshaal called on the Peace Council to adopt a “balanced approach” that would allow for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the flow of aid to its population of about two million and 200 thousand, warning at the same time that Hamas “will not accept foreign rule” over the Palestinian territories.

He said, "We adhere to our national constants and do not accept the logic of guardianship, foreign intervention, or re-assignment again."

He added, "The Palestinian is the one who rules the Palestinian. Gaza is for the people of Gaza and Palestine is for the people of Palestine. We will not accept foreign rule."

Mishal believes that this task falls on the responsibility of “leading the Palestinian people with all their living forces,” and not just the Hamas movement.

For its part, Israel, along with the United States, adheres to the demand of disarming Hamas and making Gaza a demilitarized zone. The movement talks about the possibility of handing over its weapons to a future Palestinian authority.

Israeli officials say that Hamas still consists of about 20,000 fighters and has approximately 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles in the Gaza Strip. While the parties that will form the international force stipulated in the ceasefire agreement have not yet been determined.

It is noteworthy that the Hamas movement has controlled the government in Gaza since 2007. At the end of last month, it confirmed its readiness to transfer the entire governance institutions in the Strip to the Palestinian Technocratic Committee, which has begun work.

France 24/AFP

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