Hamas Ready To Lay Down Its Heavy Weapons If Israel Leaves Gaza

JAKARTA - The militant group Hamas informed Egyptian and Qatar mediators of readiness to lay down heavy weapons, as part of a deal that includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and a long-term ceasefire, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The sources also said Hamas was against the suggestion that hundreds of fighters trapped in underground tunnels in Israel's territory of Gaza should be given a safe exit from the coastal enclave if they surrender.

Instead, Hamas only wanted those seriously injured to leave Gaza for treatment abroad, while the rest went to the Hamas-controlled territory in the region with weapons to defend themselves, according to the source, who had direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations between Hamas and the two Arab mediators.

Hamas also wants armed wing members, the Al Qassam Brigade, to defend their firearms to defend themselves, according to the source.

Hamas, they said, wanted heavy weapons, such as rocket launchers and hand-propelled grenades, to be dismantled and stored within Gaza under the supervision of Egypt and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

"Everything depends on Israel's approval," one source told The National.

"And the mediators will expect United States President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to accept," he continued.

The sources further said Hamas had conveyed its position to representatives of Egyptian and Qatar mediators ahead of a visit that was widely rumored to the region this week by President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

While in the region, Witkoff will try to push the second phase of President Trump's peace plan for Gaza, which includes the deployment of international security forces in Gaza, the removal of Hamas weapons, and the reconstruction of the region, which has been destroyed by war for two years.

The first phase includes a ceasefire that took effect on October 10 and the exchange of hostages with prisoners, in which Hamas released 20 live hostages and the bodies of most of the 28 hostages killed in detention.

Israel responded by releasing about 2,000 Palestinians who had been detained in their prisons, as well as the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of one hostage.

Unsolvable problems related to the trapped fighters and Hamas' failure, so far, to hand over the bodies of the 28 dead hostages, are the cause of delays in continuing to the second stage of the plan.

Hamas said finding the burial sites of the dead hostages was difficult to carry out due to massive damage by Israel in Gaza and the loss of communication with fighters in the field.

US media reports over the weekend said Witkoff plans to meet with Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al Hayya on weekends.

However, the source was unable to confirm the meeting's plans. If the meeting actually takes place, they said, the meeting will take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, which will provide a diplomatic victory for the Palestinian group, who has long wanted a position at the negotiating table.

News of Hamas' latest position regarding proposed weapons removal and trapped fighters emerged the day before the UN Security Council would vote on a US resolution that opened the door to an independent Palestinian state on Monday, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Sunday.

The US resolution draft, backed by major Arab countries, seeks the UN mandate for international stabilization forces in Gaza despite opposition from Russia, China, and several Arab countries.