A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that the group will not lay down its arms or allow outside powers to control Gaza, rejecting demands made by the United States and Israel.
Speaking at a conference in Doha, Khaled Meshal said portraying armed resistance and those involved in it as criminal was unacceptable.
“Resistance exists wherever there is occupation, and it is a legitimate right of people living under occupation — one that nations are proud of,” said Meshal, a former head of Hamas.
Hamas has carried out an armed campaign against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. A US-mediated ceasefire in Gaza has now entered its second stage, which includes provisions for demilitarising the enclave — including disarming Hamas — and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces. While Hamas has consistently described disarmament as a red line, it has previously suggested it could consider transferring its weapons to a future Palestinian authority.
Israeli officials estimate that Hamas still maintains roughly 20,000 fighters and possesses about 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles inside Gaza.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian technocratic committee has been formed to manage Gaza’s daily administration following the conflict. However, it remains uncertain whether the body will address the issue of demilitarisation.
The committee functions under the umbrella of the so-called “Board of Peace,” an initiative announced by US President Donald Trump. Initially designed to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction efforts, the board’s role has since expanded, raising concerns among critics that it could undermine the United Nations.
Trump formally introduced the Board of Peace at last month’s World Economic Forum in Davos, where representatives from nearly two dozen countries signed its founding charter.
In addition, Trump established a Gaza Executive Board to advise the Palestinian technocratic committee. The panel includes international figures such as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with former British prime minister Tony Blair.
Meshal called on the Board of Peace to pursue what he described as a “balanced approach” that would enable reconstruction and humanitarian aid for Gaza’s approximately 2.2 million residents. However, he stressed that Hamas would not tolerate foreign governance in Palestinian areas.
“We reject guardianship, outside interference, or any return to a mandate system,” Meshal said. “Palestinians must govern themselves. Gaza belongs to its people and to Palestine, and foreign rule will not be accepted.”
Separately, officials said around 180 Palestinians have left Gaza since the Rafah crossing with Egypt partially reopened on February 2. Rafah remains Gaza’s only exit point that does not pass through Israel.
Between Monday and Thursday, 135 people — mainly medical patients and their companions — crossed into Egypt, according to Ismail al-Thawabteh, head of Hamas’s media office in Gaza. He added that the crossing was closed on Friday and Saturday.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that 135 residents exited Gaza between February 2 and 5. On Sunday, an additional 44 people, including 19 patients, travelled to Egypt through Rafah, said Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital.