A central point in the current peace plan for the Middle East is the complete disarmament of Hamas. However, the organization itself rejects this: Muhammad Al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ), stated on 14 October on the Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera that Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad “never agreed on disarmament. This issue has not even been discussed!”
Incidentally, the Austrian military analyst Brigadier Berthold Sandtner is also tooting the same horn: “I consider a voluntary disarmament of Hamas to be out of the question”, the officer of the Austrian Armed Forces told Militär Aktuell. “It is completely unrealistic for Hamas to lay down its weapons under these circumstances.”
Back to Al-Hindi (“the Indian”), who confirmed in the video that Hamas and the PIJ had never agreed on disarmament. On the contrary: both organizations had repeatedly stated that this issue had never been discussed in the negotiations. He emphasized that their weapons belonged to the Palestinian people and would not be handed over before the establishment of a Palestinian state – not before the Palestinians could determine their own fate. This issue would be discussed among the Palestinians themselves.
Al-Hindi went on to explain that the negotiations had been conducted exclusively between the Americans and the Israelis and that the mediators had merely passed on information from them to Hamas and the resistance factions. He added that US President Donald Trump had probably “negotiated with himself” and did not understand the history, beliefs or culture of the region.
“Trump has not understood the conflict”
Al-Hindi said: “Trump is making demonstrative statements about ending this conflict, which has been going on ‘for 3,000 years’. Why 3,000 years, please? Islam has existed in the region for less than 1,400 years. Where was Israel 3,000 years ago? It has existed for just over 75 years! He speaks ostentatiously and tries to claim that he has the last word in the world, but he doesn’t know the region, the Palestinian people and their cause. Trump doesn’t care about the Palestinians – he doesn’t care about them. All he cares about is ‘deals’ and investments. Some people are just like that.”
Brigadier General Salah Al-Din Al-Zaidani Al-Ansari made a similar statement on the same day in an opinion piece on Defence Arabia. It is unclear whether the man here speaks “officially” for Hamas. In terms of his name, he could belong to the Nasir Salah al-Din Brigades faction (formerly known as Liwa al-Tawhid) – perhaps the most obscure formation of Islamist fighters in the Gaza Strip when it comes to categorizing their position in the jihadist spectrum between al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State.
In his article “The position of Hamas and the containment of Israeli power and the power struggle in the Gaza agreement” he writes that the success of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip depends on many factors that have both political and operational roots in the armed conflict between Hamas on the one hand and Israel – which is seen as a brutal occupying power – on the other. He emphasizes that this depends on the seriousness of the military pressure and the balance of power, on Hamas’ ability to respond with the same means and on preventing Israeli troops from entering the Gaza Strip again.
Salah Al-Din stated: “Hamas refuses to give up its weapons, which are needed for self-defense and direct deterrence, while retaining the ability to respond in the event of a violation of the agreement or its non-consolidation.”
Hamas has survived
Despite targeted Israeli attacks on leadership cadres, command centers and military infrastructure, Hamas has largely succeeded in maintaining its military structure. Since 2023, as Brigadier General Salah Al-Din Al-Zaidani Al-Ansari points out in an article for Defence Arabia, the organization has reorganized its battalions and units, reestablished chains of command and made effective use of its remaining arsenal of weapons.
“Hamas has hidden itself in well-equipped tunnels and used them for movement and camouflage within the Gaza Strip,” writes Al-Ansari. It has also developed “innovative fighting methods” – in particular direct attacks on enemy vehicles from close range. Locally manufactured weapons were used to carry out ambushes, ambushes and surprise attacks “in bold, heroic scenes that deserve to be praised”. Despite intensive Israeli air strikes, reconnaissance flights, espionage operations and targeted eliminations, Hamas has succeeded in mobilizing new fighters.
Welchen Beitrag leistet Österreich zur Verteidigung des Westens?
A ceasefire on shaky ground
According to Al-Ansari, the “best achievable option” at present could only be to stabilize the existing agreement in the interests of the survival of both sides. A mutual de-escalation is conceivable in order to take Israel’s security interests into account after the “major violation” of October 2023, on the one hand, and to enable Hamas to maintain its residual fighting capability, on the other. Nevertheless, according to the author, “the possibility of a renewed conflict remains, as the Arab-Zionist conflict is a historical existential conflict” – even if there are temporary guarantees.
Hamas itself continues to demand a complete Israeli withdrawal, international guarantees for compliance with the ceasefire and the unhindered import of humanitarian aid – “without politicization or security-related restrictions at the border crossings”.
Europe’s delicate role
The current development also raises questions at European level. Emergency emergency humanitarian aid of 200 million euros has already been pledged have already been pledged, posing a difficult balancing act for the German government in particular: how can humanitarian commitment be shown without indirectly strengthening one of the two parties to the conflict?
Like many European heads of government, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was more of an extra at the recent summit in Sharm el Sheikh. However, the planned distribution of aid funds via UN organizations such as WFP, UNICEF and WHO indicates a clear intention to prevent misuse. In the past, Israel and the USA had repeatedly pointed out that aid – especially building materials such as cement or pipes – had been diverted by Hamas for military purposes. This should be ruled out this time.
Trump and the “temporary rearmament”
A recent statement by Donald Trump, however, casts doubt on how consistently the promised disarmament will actually be implemented. The US President, who sees the recent ceasefire as a personal diplomatic success, told reporters that Hamas had “spoken openly about it” and that the US government had allowed it to rearm “for a period of time” or “temporarily”. Several news agencies picked up on the statements under the headline “Trump wants to allow Hamas to rearm for some time” – however, concrete details on formal procedures or authorities involved remained open.
Videos recently showing alleged executions of supposed Israel collaborators by Hamas fighters, Trump commented laconically: “They had some bad gangs there – that didn’t bother me. We’ll let them take care that there won’t be any big crimes.”
