Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Hamas has indicated it is open to discussing the “freezing or storing” of its weapons, a senior official said on Sunday, as concerns grow over the stability of the newly brokered ceasefire with Israel.
Speaking to the Associated Press in Qatar, Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, said the group is “very open minded” regarding the handling of its remaining arsenal. The statement comes as the United States continues to facilitate the second phase of a 20-point ceasefire agreement, which includes a key provision requiring Hamas to disarm Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors.
“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down [weapons], with Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” Naim said.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is “very close” to moving forward with the second phase of the ceasefire. However, important details remain unresolved, including which countries will participate in the international security force intended to oversee Gaza’s demilitarization. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel’s primary goal in this stage is “to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza.”
It remains unclear whether Hamas’s proposal to “freeze or store” weapons would satisfy Israel’s requirements for disarmament. Naim stressed that any international force, even one operating under a UN Security Council mandate, would have limited authority within Gaza. “We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations,” he said. “But we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandate authorizing them to act inside the Palestinian territories.”
The ceasefire’s fragile status was highlighted at the Doha Forum on Saturday, where representatives from Qatar, Egypt, and Norway expressed concern over potential setbacks in negotiations. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani described the situation as “a critical moment” for the Gaza truce, noting that recent talks had resulted in only a temporary pause rather than a final resolution.
As both sides negotiate the next steps, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely, with the success of the ceasefire dependent on whether compromises can be reached on weapons control and the deployment of a neutral monitoring force.
