Hamas leaders doubled down this week on their refusal to disarm, openly rejecting President Donald Trump’s Phase II peace framework and vowing instead to pursue Israel’s destruction. In a series of statements from top Hamas officials—including Khaled Mashaal and senior spokesman Taher al-Nunu—the Iran-backed terror group made clear that it will not surrender its weapons, will not accept international oversight, and will not recognize any transitional authority for Gaza despite pressure from Washington and the United Nations.
Hamas Declares: “We Will Never Disarm”
Speaking via video link to a pro-Palestinian conference in Istanbul, Khaled Mashaal repeated familiar—but newly escalated—calls for Israel’s eradication, telling participants that the “ummah” must commit to “cleansing” Jerusalem and reclaiming all Islamic and Christian holy sites. As reported by JNS, Mashaal claimed global anti-Israel sentiment has created a “historic opportunity” to “remove” Israel from the international stage. Alongside Mashaal’s rhetoric, senior Hamas figure Taher al-Nunu declared that the group “categorically rejects” all attempts by the United States or international partners to disarm Gaza. “We will NOT DISCUSS this under ANY circumstances,” he said, insisting that Hamas’s rockets would become “the weapons of the Palestinian state” once it is formed. These statements come just weeks after the U.N. Security Council endorsed Trump’s Phase II initiative, which requires Hamas to relinquish its weapons and leave Gaza as part of a broader Palestinian political transition.
Deep Dive: Why Hamas Cannot Accept Disarmament
Analysts familiar with Arab political culture stress that armed capability is central to Hamas’s identity and survival. In Gaza, weapons equal legitimacy, influence, and power. As Middle East observers note, any group that relinquishes its weapons in Arab political society loses its authority and is quickly replaced—often violently. Hamas understands this. If the group disarms, it will be remembered as the movement that lost Gaza, failed its constituency, and brought catastrophe to Palestinian civilians. Hamas is therefore clinging to its weapons not only as tools of terrorism but as the last remaining pillar of its political survival. Evidence of this dynamic is visible in Hamas’s messaging shift since 2023: the organization now refers to its arsenal as “the ummah’s honor,” elevating terrorism into a sacred religious duty. Mashaal took this further in Istanbul, declaring that “a thousand statements are not worth a single projectile of iron.”
Direct Rejection of Trump’s Plan and U.N. Demands
The Trump administration’s Phase II plan—endorsed by the U.N. on November 17—called for the creation of an International Stabilization Force and a Board of Peace to administer Gaza during the post-conflict transition. Hamas openly mocked the proposal. Mashaal rejected the “guardianship” and “re-occupation” of Gaza under any foreign entity, while Hamas spokesmen insist no nation would dare participate in a mission designed to forcibly disarm them. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded sharply, stating that Hamas is “making a mockery” of the peace process and highlighting that their resistance to demilitarization directly contradicts the core terms of the international plan.
Prophetic Context: The Intractability Foretold
The unyielding hostility toward Israel, coupled with global pressure for a political solution, mirrors the prophetic landscape described in Scripture. Psalm 83:4 (NASB 1977) captures the mindset on display: “They have said, ‘Come, let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.’” Hamas’s public vow to “remove this entity from our homeland” echoes this thousand-year-old hostility. Meanwhile, Zechariah 12:3 (NASB 1977) describes Jerusalem becoming “a heavy stone for all the peoples,” a burden that nations attempt to move yet cannot. Today’s diplomatic merry-go-round—round after round of peace proposals rejected by terror movements—reveals exactly that pattern.
Strategic Implications: A Plan That Cannot Move Forward
The Trump administration faces an unavoidable reality: Phase II cannot proceed while Hamas remains armed. No country will join a Stabilization Force tasked with disarming an active terror movement—especially one openly vowing Israel’s destruction. This stalemate creates a loop with no clear exit, as Hamas buys time to regroup while Gaza remains trapped under its rule. For Israel, the refusal to disarm validates long-standing warnings that Hamas’s objective has never changed. For the United States, it highlights the near-impossibility of implementing a workable post-war framework without first removing Hamas militarily.
Conclusion
With Mashaal and al-Nunu reaffirming Hamas’s total rejection of disarmament, the central obstacle to peace is once again unmistakable. The terror group’s goal is unchanged, its rhetoric is escalating, and its willingness to negotiate remains nonexistent. Until Hamas is removed from power—or forced into irrelevance—every diplomatic proposal will circle the same unending loop.
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