In a defiant statement marking its 38th anniversary, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has issued a stark warning against international attempts to seize control of Gaza, calling for an immediate move to the next phase of the ceasefire to end the Israeli occupation and begin reconstruction.
Hamas forcefully stated that any "re-engineering" of Gaza or displacement of its people according to Israeli plans is unacceptable. The group declared that the Palestinian people are the "sole authority" to choose their own leaders and manage their affairs, adding that establishing a unified national Palestinian strategy is the only way to confront plans to liquidate the national cause. The statement categorically rejected "all forms of guardianship or mandate over the Gaza Strip". This is a direct rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed "Board of Peace," which Hamas and other critics argue would impose a new system of foreign control over the territory.
Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya outlined the group's vision for the next steps. He called for an urgent move to the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which would mandate the "complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza". Hamas reaffirmed its readiness to hand over all administrative affairs to an independent Palestinian "technocratic committee" to govern Gaza. However, it insists the role of any International Stabilization Force (ISF) must be strictly limited to maintaining the ceasefire on Gaza's borders and must not interfere in its internal affairs.
While expressing commitment to the ceasefire, senior Hamas leaders framed the group's weapons as a non-negotiable right. Khalil al-Hayya asserted that "resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and are linked to the establishment of a Palestinian state". This stance creates the central obstacle to the next phase of the peace plan, which calls for Hamas's disarmament. Hamas officials have suggested they are open to discussing "freezing or storing" weapons during a truce but reject surrendering them to an international force. Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas abroad, argued that total disarmament would be akin to "removing the soul" of the organization.
The anniversary statement comes at what mediators describe as a "critical moment" for the fragile truce. Hamas accused Israel of achieving "nothing but the criminal targeting of unarmed civilians" over two years of war and urged international courts to hold Israeli leaders accountable. These accusations are supported by documented violations; according to Gaza authorities, Israel has breached the ceasefire over 738 times since October 10, killing at least 386 Palestinians through airstrikes, artillery, and shootings. UN experts warn these continued attacks threaten to collapse the truce entirely.