Hamas Rejects Disarmament as “Out of the Question,” Casting Shadow Over Peace Deal

A senior Hamas official has publicly and unequivocally rejected the core disarmament requirement of the U.S.-led peace plan, telling the AFP news agency that giving up the group’s weapons is “out of the question and not negotiable.” The hardline statement, made on Saturday, casts a dark shadow over the fragile ceasefire and exposes the most formidable obstacle to a lasting peace deal for Gaza.
The comment is the first direct and public refusal of the demilitarization clause since Hamas issued a more nuanced formal response on Friday night. In that response, the group agreed to release all hostages and hand over the civil administration of Gaza but deferred the issue of its arms to a later, internal Palestinian dialogue. Now, that deferral has been clarified as an outright rejection.
The U.S. proposal contains a provision that would grant amnesty to Hamas members who voluntarily disarm, with a safe passage arrangement for them to leave the Gaza Strip. The new statement from the Hamas official makes it clear that this offer is a non-starter for the movement’s leadership.
“The weapons of the resistance are a red line,” the official told AFP. “They are not for negotiation.”
This defiant stance places the entire peace process in jeopardy. While the ceasefire that began on Saturday morning is still holding, a critical deadline looms. The first stage of the U.S. plan, which Israel has prepared for, calls for the release of Israeli hostages from the 2023 attacks to begin by Monday.
Hamas’s public rejection of disarmament puts immense pressure on Israel and the United States. Israel’s primary stated war aim has been the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military capabilities. It is highly unlikely that the Israeli government will agree to a permanent end to the war while leaving Hamas’s armed wing intact, regardless of a change in Gaza’s civil administration.
The statement forces a difficult choice: mediators can either try to convince Israel to accept a partial deal—the return of hostages and a new government in Gaza, while leaving Hamas armed—or attempt the seemingly impossible task of persuading Hamas to reverse its foundational position on its “right to resistance.”
For now, the focus remains on the immediate humanitarian goal of securing the hostages’ release. But the fundamental and now openly stated disagreement on disarmament hangs over the process, threatening to shatter the cautious optimism that emerged just 24 hours ago.