Hamas Ready to Give Up Rule of Gaza, But Will Not Disarm: How That Reveals Hamas’ True Intentions of Waging An Unending Existential War Against Israel
Back in August 2024, Hamas' primary spokesman, Basem Naim stated clearly that the terrorist organization will not disarm.[1]. This position runs through Hamas’ negotiation posture and has become a major obstacle to any arrangement to end the current war.
Israel has made it clear that there will be no scenario where Hamas will play any role in Gaza or the Palestinian territories after this war. Thus, they always reiterate the fact that Israel will do everything to go after Hamas fighters and prevent them from indoctrinating the next generation of Palestinians. This reinforces the fact that Israel sees no option but to demand a disarming of Hamas as a group in Gaza and elsewhere.[2].
Basem Naim and other leaders of Hamas living in Qatar have stated that they may give up their rule of the Gaza Strip but will not disarm. This shows their adherence to the longstanding ideology of waging an unending war against Israel.
Deception and political expedience have seen Hamas modify its original charter and ideology to fit the context of contemporary international law. However, their intrinsic desire is to wage violent attacks on Israel on one level.
The next level, as Khaled Meshaal has reiterated on several occasions, is to enlist Islamic countries against Israel any time Hamas launches an attack. This means the goal is to stoke a broader conflict and constantly attack Israel. Thus, the group’s essence and activities are highly problematic.
Hamas' logic is that if they refuse to disarm, they may get another opportunity to launch an October 7 type of attack in the future.
It is therefore necessary to let the world understand what Hamas really wants. Hamas kicked against the Two-State Solution from the very beginning. All they want is to violently destroy Israel. This is against every element of international law, and all well-meaning persons must take a firm position against Hamas.
On the other hand, Hamas projects themselves as “innocent Palestinian civilians” who are victims of Israeli aggression[3]. This is something Basem Naim and other Hamas leaders have repeated over and over again.
Based on this line of reasoning, Hamas insists that the guns they hold are for self-defense and part of the protection of their dignity[4]. This argument fails because Hamas has been able to wage a continuous war against Israel for over 14 months. In this war, they put Gazan civilians in harm's way so they could attack Israel as an end in itself. This disproves any rational grounds for their claim that they want to "defend themselves".
The evidence however points to the fact that Israel will not tolerate any more of Hamas’ deceptive methods and delay tactics. Experts identify that it will take a lot of effort to clear the Gaza Strip of arms in the hands of Hamas militants and block smuggling routes[5]. However, all the evidence points to the fact that Israel is ready to go any length to tighten their grip on Gaza and force Hamas to give up their arms.
It is also clear that the war will continue and the quest to prevent Hamas from rearming will continue long after this war is over. Thus far, Israel has degraded the overwhelming majority of Hamas' military battalions in Gaza.[6]. Israel is likely to continue into the future – only this time, it will take a proactive approach to prevent further rearming.
In conclusion, Hamas' inherent ideology is to wage an unending existential war against Israel. It does not end there. Hamas hopes to enlist the militaries of hostile states bordering Israel after sparking a fire. Thus, all claims of being a peaceful political movement and resistance entity do not seem to be accurate. In reality, they are all expedient communications that are presented to cover up the original goal. Looking at the damage the October 7 attacks caused to all human beings on the planet and destroyed the global economy, it is clear that the world will be better off without such attacks in the future. Hamas’ radicalization of Gaza’s children and Palestinians should not be encouraged. Thus, the group must be disarmed for a peaceful end to be sought in the longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
[1] Aya Batrawy. "A Hamas leader says they will give up governing Gaza, but won’t lay down arms" NPR Published: August 16, 2024. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2024/08/16/nx-s1-5077757/gaza-war-hamas-leader-basem-naim-doha-interview
[2] Abby Sewell. "Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus" AP News Published: December 6, 2024. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-negotiations-qatar-d09bb192b298adb3fa76d0e819721fdf
[3] Yalda Hakim. "Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire 'immediately' - but claims Israel has put forward no 'serious proposals' in months" Sky News. Published: November 14, 2024 Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/hamas-ready-for-gaza-ceasefire-immediately-but-claims-israel-has-put-forward-no-serious-proposals-in-months-13254181
[4] Yalda Hakim. "Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire 'immediately' - but claims Israel has put forward no 'serious proposals' in months" Sky News. Published: November 14, 2024 Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/hamas-ready-for-gaza-ceasefire-immediately-but-claims-israel-has-put-forward-no-serious-proposals-in-months-13254181
[5] Yalda Hakim. "Hamas ready for Gaza ceasefire 'immediately' - but claims Israel has put forward no 'serious proposals' in months" Sky News. Published: November 14, 2024 Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/hamas-ready-for-gaza-ceasefire-immediately-but-claims-israel-has-put-forward-no-serious-proposals-in-months-13254181
[6] Aya Batrawy. "A Hamas leader says they will give up governing Gaza, but won’t lay down arms" NPR Published: August 16, 2024. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2024/08/16/nx-s1-5077757/gaza-war-hamas-leader-basem-naim-doha-interview
