Hamas leader rules out ‘unacceptable’ disarmament as part of Gaza ceasefire

"There are those who want to impose their vision on us, contrary to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim position," he said.

"For example, the issue of the resistance’s [Hamas'] weapons.

"The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance. What is being proposed is a freeze, or storage (of weapons)… to provide guarantees against any military escalation from Gaza with the Israeli occupation."

He claimed that the group's reluctance to lay down its arms was because "when the Palestinian is disarmed… massacres follow".

"Disarmament for a Palestinian means stripping away his very soul," he added.

Mashal also hit out at the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which is expected to maintain security while a technocratic government is established under a US-led Board of Peace.

Calling the prospect an "occupation", he suggested instead that Hamas has "has no objection that there be an international stabilisation force on the borders," but not within Gaza itself.

Speaking of the plan for Gaza's future, President Trump has confirmed that he will not announce the membership of the Board of Peace, which he is set to chair, until early next year.

Last week, US officials reportedly told The Times of Israel that the appointments would be made by Christmas, but negotiations appeared to have stalled since then.

The Board is expected to be made up of a number of world leaders, including some drawn from the Arab nations, but none have yet volunteered.
An intermediate-level board is expected to handle the day-to-day administration of Gaza in collaboration with a Palestinian-led government separate from either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
Names in the running for this board reportedly include Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff and ex-UN Middle East Envoy Nikolay Mladenov and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.