JAKARTA - Senior leaders of the Hamas militant group said on Sunday that they would not disarm and would not accept foreign intervention in the Gaza Strip, rejecting demands from the United States and Israel.
"Criminalizing resistance, its weapons, and those who do it is something we should not accept," Khaled Meshal said at a conference in Doha, Qatar, launching Daily Sabah (9/1).
"As long as there is occupation, there is resistance. Resistance is the right of the people under occupation, something that nations are proud of," said Meshal, who previously led the group.
Hamas has waged an armed struggle against what it considers an Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. They led a deadly cross-border attack on southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, which triggered Tel Aviv's genocidal war.
The ceasefire, mediated by Egypt, the US, Qatar and Turkey in October last year, is now entering a second phase, which includes demilitarization of the territory - including the disarmament of Hamas - as well as the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Hamas has repeatedly said that disarmament is a red line, although it has indicated that it may consider handing over its weapons to the Palestinian government authorities in the future.
Israeli officials say Hamas still has about 20,000 fighters and about 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles in Gaza.
A Palestinian technocratic committee has been formed to take over day-to-day governance in the battered Gaza Strip, but it is still unclear whether, or how, the committee will address the issue of demilitarization.
The committee operates under the so-called "Peace Council," an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump.
Originally formed to oversee a Gaza ceasefire and post-war reconstruction, the council's mandate has been expanded, raising concerns among critics the council could grow into a rival to the United Nations.
Trump launched the council at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, last month, where leaders and officials from nearly two dozen countries joined him in signing its founding charter.
Along with the Peace Council, Trump also formed the Gaza Executive Council - an advisory panel to the Palestinian technocratic committee - which consists of international figures including US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as former British prime minister Tony Blair.
On Sunday, Meshal urged the Peace Council to adopt what he called a "balanced approach" that would allow for the reconstruction of Gaza and the flow of aid to its approximately 2.2 million residents, while warning Hamas "will not accept foreign rule" over the Palestinian territory.
"We adhere to our national principles and reject the logic of guardianship, external intervention, or the return of the mandate in any form," Meshal said.
"The Palestinian people must govern the Palestinian people. Gaza belongs to the people of Gaza and Palestine. We will not accept foreign rule," he said.
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