Hamas has signaled it will not surrender its military arsenal at this time, resisting ongoing disarmament demands. The group stated that the ultimate fate of its weaponry will be determined through comprehensive consultations with other Palestinian factions.
![Hossam Badran, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, spoke exclusively to Al Jazeera about the group's vision for a long-term Hudna in Gaza. [Mohammad Mansour/Al Jazeera]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==)
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Husam Badran, a member of the Hamas political bureau, discussed the group’s proposed solutions to break the current diplomatic stalemate, introducing the concept of a long-term hudna (truce).
“When the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) takes over the Gaza Strip, there will be no visible weapons in the streets and alleys of Gaza except for the official weapons of this committee, which serves as the official Palestinian police,” Badran explained. “The armed manifestations we were accustomed to in the Gaza Strip will no longer exist.”
However, Badran clarified that this arrangement does not constitute a formal surrender of arms. “We are not talking about handing them over; we are talking about weapons not being visible, except for the official weapons of the Palestinian police,” he stated, adding that the specific details would be settled within a national framework.
This position comes as reports indicate Hamas is preparing to send a delegation to Cairo for renewed negotiations this weekend. The group had briefly delayed its participation to demand a cessation of Israeli assassinations—including the recent killings of military commanders Izz al-Din al-Haddad and Mohammed Odeh—to ensure a more stable negotiating environment.
The disarmament of Hamas and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops remain the primary obstacles in the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan from October 2025.
Seeking Palestinian Consensus in Cairo
The upcoming meetings in Cairo will convene eight key Palestinian factions to establish a unified national position. Badran confirmed that representatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the PFLP-GC, the National Initiative, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), and the Democratic Reform Current (affiliated with Fatah) will attend.
These discussions aim to salvage the ceasefire originally proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Badran, however, argued that Israel has failed to implement even 30 percent of its phase-one obligations, rendering a transition to subsequent phases impossible.
“We are discussing humanitarian aid, the Rafah crossing mechanism, infrastructure, and the assassinations,” Badran said. “The goal was a comprehensive ceasefire, yet around 1,000 people have been killed. To say Israel has implemented even 30 percent is an overstatement.”
Currently, only 150 to 250 aid trucks enter Gaza daily, far below the agreed-upon 600, while critical infrastructure for hospitals, electricity, and fuel remains decimated.
The Disarmament Deadlock
While Palestinian factions insist on the fulfillment of survival metrics in phase one, Israeli officials and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza on the “Board of Peace,” are conditioning the move to phase two on the disarmament of armed groups.
To resolve the impasse, Mladenov recently introduced a 15-point “roadmap.” In a May 2026 briefing to the UN Security Council, Mladenov emphasized that the plan is based on reciprocity and verification. He clarified that no Palestinian group would be required to transfer weapons to Israel; instead, decommissioning would be a gradual, Palestinian-led process with arms transferred to the NCAG.
Mladenov outlined that this process is tied to a phased Israeli military withdrawal to Gaza’s perimeter, conditional upon verified progress on disarmament and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) as a buffer.
Mladenov warned the UNSC that rejecting the roadmap would have severe consequences. With 85 percent of Gaza’s buildings damaged or destroyed, he stressed that reconstruction funding would not be provided where weapons have not been laid down, warning that Gaza would remain divided with Hamas holding control over less than half the territory.
Diplomatic Stalling and Israeli Expansion
Palestinian analysts view the 15-point framework as a stalling tactic allowing Israel to deepen its occupation. Political analyst Wissam Afifa told Al Jazeera that Israel is exploiting “negotiation time” to exhaust the population through continuous escalation.
“They shifted from Trump’s 20 points to a new 15-point framework, which revolves entirely around a single clause: disarmament,” Afifa explained. He argued that the Palestinian resistance is being pressured to make major concessions without guarantees, while the Israeli government uses the talks to advance territorial goals.
Afifa suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the negotiations for domestic electoral gains, expanding Israeli control from 60 percent of Gaza to 70 percent or more. This expansion occurs while oversight mechanisms, such as the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), have failed to effectively monitor the process.
“We are facing a scenario where the occupation has reshaped the ceasefire on its own terms,” Afifa said, adding that Mladenov has essentially adopted the Israeli and American vision by demanding disarmament without a clear political horizon for the “day after.”
The National Committee Hurdle
The ongoing Israeli expansion complicates the transition of power. While some accuse Hamas of clinging to power, spokesperson Hazem Qassem reiterated that the group is ready to hand over all governance and security responsibilities to the Cairo-based National Committee. Badran confirmed that all necessary administrative and security files have been prepared for the transfer.
However, the NCAG faces massive operational barriers. Afifa described the committee as a “hostage” to Israeli pressure.
An anonymous member of the committee told Al Jazeera that the body would not enter Gaza soon, citing strict conditions. The committee refuses to operate behind the Israeli-controlled “Yellow Line” or cooperate with Israeli-backed militias. Furthermore, the source stated the committee will not enter Gaza until the International Stabilization Force is deployed in the buffer zones.
As the political deadlock persists, the human cost continues to rise. Mladenov acknowledged in his UN briefing that ceasefire violations continue to kill civilians and block aid.
Since the ceasefire began, Israeli military actions have killed 933 Palestinians and injured 2,868, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 72,942, with 172,967 people injured.