As international mediators push forward with a phased plan for postwar Gaza, Hamas is reportedly seeking a way to avoid destroying or surrendering its weapons—despite commitments under a U.S.-backed agreement that would require the terrorist group to disarm fully.
According to sources in Gaza, Hamas leaders have approached senior officials in the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a request to store their weapons instead of destroying them, offering what they describe as a temporary arrangement that would allow the group to retain access if fighting reignites.
Under the terms of the proposed international framework, Hamas is prohibited from manufacturing, importing or stockpiling weapons. However, local officials say the group has been searching for a workaround to retain its existing arsenal.
“They asked the Palestinian Authority to open a dialogue and consider storing the weapons,” a source familiar with the talks said. “They don’t intend to hand them over or destroy them.”
Hamas reportedly fears that renewed fighting with Israel could break out at any moment and suspects that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. officials are waiting for a pretext to resume the war. As a result, the group has resisted any arrangement that would fully deprive it of arms, instead seeking to relocate its arsenal under a cooperative but non-binding arrangement with the PA.
Palestinian Authority officials, however, remain skeptical of the proposal. While they have not entirely dismissed it, they consider the chances of such an agreement to be slim. “There is no trust in Hamas leadership,” one senior PA official said, warning the initiative could be a trap designed to manipulate or undermine the PA’s legitimacy.
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
(Photo: Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via REUTERS)
PA officials say Hamas leaders have been making weekly overtures in search of a solution for their weapons, but the proposed arrangements are “unacceptable.” One official reportedly told Hamas: “If you want to claim the weapons are being transferred to the PA, then declare publicly that you are handing them over.” Hamas has refused to do so, and PA intelligence chief Majed Faraj and civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh have both declined the group’s request to store weapons.
Israeli and Western officials believe Hamas is attempting to circumvent the disarmament clause of the agreement by hiding weapons in accessible locations while publicly claiming compliance. The PA has insisted it will only accept full and unconditional transfer of all arms.
Last month, Israeli security officials told lawmakers in a closed briefing that “the working assumption is that Hamas will not disarm,” despite provisions in the U.S.-brokered deal requiring the group to both disband its armed wing and refrain from participating in any technocratic government in Gaza.
In a speech before the United Nations General Assembly in September, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Gaza is an “inseparable part” of a future Palestinian state. “We are ready to take full responsibility for governance and security there,” he said, adding that Hamas “will not be part of the government” and must disarm as part of the state-building process.