Hamas chooses to make concessions to save the Palestinian people

JAKARTA - Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said the group agreed to a comprehensive peace deal after consulting with various Palestinian factions, with the aim of ending the war and saving Palestinians from the dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed that Hamas had made political concessions to achieve this goal, but would not abandon its political project.

In an interview with Al Arabiya Hamad said the deal was reached amid the "difficult and harsh" conditions faced by the Palestinian people, explaining that his priority was to protect civilians and end the humanitarian suffering that had lasted for months, as quoted (31/7).

He explained that Hamas' consultations with Palestinian factions were intended to reach a unified national position in support of the agreement and increase its chances of success.

He said the decision was not made unilaterally, but followed intensive discussions with Palestinian political forces.

He further explained that the Hamas group had "chosen to make concessions in order to save the Palestinian people," while stressing that the concessions did not mean abandoning Hamas' national rights or political goals.

"We will not give up in our efforts to achieve the Palestinian people's goals," he said, adding that the agreement addressed the current reality but did not change the movement's fundamental political position.

Responding to one of the most sensitive provisions of the agreement, Hamad said Hamas would not hand over its weapons immediately or unilaterally.

Instead, he said, this issue will be part of the reciprocal implementation process.

He explained that the implementation of this provision would depend on the fulfillment of the commitments of all parties based on the agreement, adding that a schedule had been set to implement various stages, including provisions on weapons and security arrangements.

Hamad said the agreement also calls for the establishment of an international monitoring committee tasked with overseeing implementation and ensuring all parties comply with their obligations.

Hamad also stressed that the agreement did not call for the dissolution or cessation of Hamas' existence, saying the movement would remain active and continue its political work during the next phase.

He added that Hamas' decision to relinquish control of Gaza is not new. The movement has previously proposed, on several occasions, to hand over executive authority to a technocratic government responsible for managing civil affairs.

"The current agreement is an extension of the previous proposals, not a sudden change in Hamas' position," he said.

Hamad's comments came after the announcement of a draft comprehensive peace agreement that will begin to be implemented within 14 days of being approved by the parties.

The draft includes the transfer of Gaza's administration to an independent national committee, the cessation of military operations, the deployment of international stabilization forces, and the launch of a reconstruction plan, along with arrangements for disarmament and the reorganization of the security system.

Israel itself has not officially approved all the details of the agreement.