Hamas Agrees to Lay Down Arms, But Sets Condition: End of Israeli Occupation

The Palestinian liberation group Hamas has announced it is willing to give up its weapons, but only on the condition that the Israeli occupation of Palestine must end.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator, stated that any decision regarding the organization's arsenal is “related to the presence of the Israeli occupation and aggression.”

A report by the Times of Israel on Monday (October 27) noted that Israel has demanded Hamas disarm as a condition for ending a two-year conflict. The United States has also conditioned its 20-point plan on Hamas surrendering its weapons.

In response, Al-Hayya said, “If the occupation ends, these weapons will be handed over to the state.”

It was not immediately clear which state the Hamas leader was referring to, or if he meant a Palestinian administrative body that has not yet been formed.

This statement follows a previous agreement by Hamas and other key Palestinian factions to hand over the governance of post-war Gaza to an independent committee of technocrats.

According to a joint statement published on Hamas's website on Friday, the factions agreed at a meeting in Cairo to transfer the administration of Gaza to an interim Palestinian committee composed of "independent technocrats."

This committee would manage the lives of residents and basic services in cooperation with Arab partners and international organizations.