Posted on 05/24/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
A senior official in the Hamas terror organization commented in an interview with the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper on reports of a Saudi-French initiative to disarm Hamas and transfer its weapons to a civilian governing body in the Gaza Strip.
The official stated that no contacts have been made with representatives from Saudi Arabia or France regarding such a plan, and the issue of disarmament is not even up for discussion.
"The resistance’s weapons are a red line, and the matter is completely closed with the agreement of all armed factions in the Strip—not just Hamas," the official emphasized.
He went on to criticize diplomatic mediation efforts aimed at disarming the Strip without addressing Hamas’s demands: "Any diplomatic activity that does not require Israel to withdraw from the Strip and allow aid to enter is a service to the Netanyahu government, which is struggling to withstand international pressure due to images of children killed in Gaza."
He added that Hamas conveyed a message to mediators stating that the organization is not insistent on governing Gaza if it poses an obstacle to ending the fighting, rebuilding the Strip, and delivering aid.
The official reiterated the message that Hamas has expressed readiness to release all hostages in a single move, noting that some are injured and others are suffering under harsh conditions "like the rest of Gaza’s residents."
In conclusion, he stressed, "What Netanyahu failed to achieve on the battlefield, he will not succeed in achieving at the negotiating table."