Gaza, Hamas: ready to discuss freezing our weapons. Netanyahu: 'There are opportunities for peace'

Hamas is ready to discuss the "freezing or stockpiling" of its weapons arsenal as part of the ceasefire with Israel. This was stated by Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas' political decision-making bureau, in an interview with Associated Press in Doha, the Qatari capital, where much of the group's leadership is based. Naim said Hamas retains its "right to resist", but added that the group is ready to lay down its arms as part of a process aimed at establishing a Palestinian state. He gave few details on how this might happen, but assumed a long-term truce of five to 10 years to allow discussions to take place. "This time must be used seriously and fully," he said, adding that Hamas is "very open" about what to do with its weapons. "We can talk about freezing, storage or deposition, with a Palestinian guarantee not to use them at all during this ceasefire or truce period," he said. It is unclear whether the offer would meet Israel's demands for complete disarmament.

We are willing to take a comprehensive approach to avoid further escalation or further clashes or explosions,' Naim further said. His statements offer a possible formula for resolving one of the thorniest issues in the US-brokered agreement. The parties, who agreed to a ceasefire in October, are preparing to move on to a more complex second phase of the agreement. The agreement ended two years of Israeli offensives in Gaza and sets out a plan for the reconstruction of the Strip. Israel launched the offensive in response to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, which Naim called an 'act of defence'. Since the truce took effect in October, Hamas and Israel have carried out a series of Israeli hostage exchanges with Palestinian prisoners. The remains of only one hostage, an Israeli policeman killed in the 7 October attack, now remain in Gaza, and the parties are therefore preparing to enter the second phase.

The new phase aims to outline a future for war-torn Gaza and promises to be even more difficult, addressing issues such as the deployment of an international security force, the formation of a Palestinian technical committee in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip, and the disarmament of Hamas. An international committee, headed by President Donald Trump, will oversee the implementation of the agreement and the reconstruction of Gaza. The Israeli demand that Hamas lay down its arms promises to be particularly sensitive, as Israeli officials say it is a key demand that could hinder progress in other areas. Hamas' ideology is deeply rooted in what it calls armed resistance against Israel, and its leaders have rejected calls for surrender despite more than two years of war that have destroyed much of Gaza and killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

"There are opportunities for peace. The Iranian axis has been hit hard, I will discuss this with Trump by the end of the month and we will end Hamas' role in Gaza. We are almost at the end of the first phase and plan to move to the second soon. We will achieve the disarmament of Hamas and demilitarise Gaza'. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said this, quoted by Israeli media, at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem.

"We will not create a Palestinian state on our doorstep that will strive to destroy us," Netanyahu said. "We have a different point of view, of course, because the purpose of a Palestinian state is to destroy the one and only Jewish state. In Gaza they already had a state, a de facto state, and they used it to try to destroy the one Jewish state. We believe that there is a way to promote a broader peace with the Arab states, and also a way to establish a viable peace with our Palestinian neighbours, but we will not create a state on our doorstep that will strive to destroy us'.