DOHA — Hamas expressed readiness on Sunday to pursue a “comprehensive approach” in the upcoming second phase of Gaza ceasefire negotiations, including discussions on “freezing or storing” its weapons under Palestinian guarantees, as a senior official defended the group’s October 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood operation as a legitimate act of defense against decades of Israeli occupation and aggression.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, conveyed this flexibility in an interview with The Associated Press in Doha, Qatar, where much of the group’s leadership is based, amid fragile truce dynamics that have seen over 370 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes since the October 10, 2025, ceasefire took effect.
“We are open to a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or any further clashes or explosions,” Naim said, emphasizing that the group remains committed to its “right to resist” occupation but is “very open-minded” about the fate of its arsenal as part of a pathway to a sovereign Palestinian state. He proposed options like “freezing or storing or laying down” weapons “with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” framing such measures as temporary steps toward lasting peace rather than unilateral disarmament.
This stance comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza, announced expectations for the second phase to commence “very shortly,” potentially by month’s end, with a core focus on “the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.”
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and Türkiye, halted Israel’s two-year offensive on October 10, 2025, following Hamas’s Al-Aqsa Flood attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages, sparking the war. Under phase one, Hamas released 50 living hostages and 30 bodies in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and a phased Israeli withdrawal from northern Gaza, leaving only the remains of police officer Ran Gvili unreturned due to burial under rubble. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports over 70,000 total Palestinian deaths since October 2023 — predominantly civilians, including 20,179 children — with 170,000 injured, amid accusations of genocide by UN experts and human rights groups. Post-ceasefire, violations have mounted: Israel has conducted near-daily strikes, killing at least 370 Palestinians, while three Israeli soldiers died in clashes with approximately 200 Hamas fighters holed up underground, whom Naim claimed the group was “not aware” of during signing.
Naim’s overtures signal potential breakthroughs in one of the truce’s most contentious elements: Hamas’s disarmament, long demanded by Israel and its Western allies as a non-negotiable precondition for enduring peace. Jerusalem and Washington view it as essential to neutralize threats, with Netanyahu vowing during a December 7 press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the second phase — encompassing full Israeli withdrawal, an international stabilization force, and Gaza’s demilitarization — would be “no less daunting.” Yet Palestinians, including Hamas, reject outright surrender of arms without reciprocal steps, citing international law’s affirmation of resistance rights under occupation, as per UN resolutions and the Geneva Conventions.
The second phase envisions a transitional authority, including a technocratic committee for Gaza’s daily governance and a UN-led international force for border supervision. Naim welcomed the latter — “We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting violations, preventing any kind of escalations” — but firmly opposed internal operations: “We don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to operate inside the Palestinian territories.”
Progress on governance offers a rare bright spot. Naim highlighted advancements between Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) on a technocratic committee to manage Gaza’s affairs, agreeing on a West Bank-based Cabinet minister originally from Gaza to lead it — potentially Health Minister Maged Abu Ramadan, per reports. This builds on October 2025 Cairo talks, where factions including Fatah and Hamas endorsed a temporary “apolitical Palestinian committee” for services like health and education, backed by Arab and international institutions, as a bridge to PA resumption of control post-reforms. Hamas views it as preferable to foreign dominance, signaling willingness to cede administration while retaining political influence — a concession to Trump’s 20-point plan, though Israel and the U.S. insist on excluding Hamas affiliates to prevent a “fait accompli.”
Naim’s defense of Al-Aqsa Flood reframed the operation — Hamas’s codename for the October 7 attacks — as a desperate bid to shatter the status quo. “History didn’t start on Oct. 7,” he asserted, tracing it to the 1948 Nakba, when 750,000 Palestinians were displaced during Israel’s founding, through the 17-year Gaza blockade, Al-Aqsa Mosque desecrations by settlers, and administrative detentions of thousands. “Oct. 7 for us was an act of defense. We have done our duty to raise the voice of our people,” Naim said, portraying it as a response to “years of occupation and aggression,” including daily raids and normalization deals eroding Palestinian claims.
The war’s toll underscores the stakes: 90 % of Gaza’s infrastructure lies in ruins, with reconstruction estimated at $90–100 billion, per UN assessments. Famine looms for 2.2 million residents, exacerbated by aid restrictions during violations like the October 29 strikes killing 104, including 46 children — the deadliest post-truce day. Mediators, including Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, warn the truce is a “pause” at a “critical moment,” urging swift phase two to avert collapse.
Netanyahu’s optimism — tied to a planned Trump meeting — clashes with Palestinian skepticism, as ICC warrants loom over him and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “extermination” acts. Germany’s Merz, announcing €500 million in aid and officer deployments, stressed a “new Middle East” with Israel secure and Palestinian statehood viable, though Berlin’s arms exports to Israel — €326 million since 2023 — draw domestic protests.
On X, reactions swirled: #GazaCeasefire trended with 2.8 million posts, from pro-Palestinian cheers — “Hamas’s flexibility exposes Israel’s intransigence” — to Israeli hawks decrying concessions. Analysts caution that without binding enforcement, phase two risks perpetuating occupation, urging U.S. leverage for settlement freezes. As winter grips Gaza’s tent cities, Naim’s words echo: a chance for “serious” talks, or another deferred dream? In Doha’s corridors, where history’s ghosts linger, the second phase tests not just arms, but wills — toward justice, or endless siege.
