Hamas Confirms It Never Agreed to Disarm in Gaza Truce Talks

Gaza City: A senior Hamas official has clarified that the Palestinian resistance group never agreed to surrender its weapons during indirect ceasefire negotiations that ended Israel’s two-year military campaign in Gaza.

Mousa Abu Marzook, speaking in an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera on Wednesday, said Hamas had only agreed to a framework plan to end hostilities. “Hamas has never agreed to hand over its weapons in any form. The issue of disarmament was not discussed at all,” he emphasized.

The US-backed ceasefire agreement, which took effect on October 10, 2025, began with the exchange of Israeli captives for Palestinian detainees and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces to the so-called “yellow line,” the designated ceasefire boundary in Gaza.

Marzook noted that despite Hamas fulfilling its obligations, Israel continued attacks on Gaza and restricted the entry of humanitarian aid. The second phase of the truce, announced earlier this month, involved further Israeli troop withdrawals and the deployment of an international monitoring force.

Regarding the return of Israeli captives, Marzook revealed that Hamas had provided mediators with information about the location of the last captive, Ran Gvili, approximately a month ago. He stressed that the handover was part of the agreement’s conditions and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for claiming credit.

Since Israel’s October 7, 2023 offensive, Gaza has witnessed severe devastation, with at least 71,667 Palestinians killed and 171,343 injured, most of them women and children. During a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, Palestine’s UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned that Gaza faces an “unprecedented catastrophe,” urging immediate implementation of the truce, cessation of attacks, and unrestricted humanitarian access.