Sunday, 5th April 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 12th October 2025, 8:32 AM
Hamas has declared it is prepared to resume fighting if war returns to Gaza, while rejecting proposals to leave the territory under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, a senior official told AFP on Saturday.
Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, also warned that upcoming negotiations could prove challenging, particularly regarding the issue of disarmament, which he suggested could be a sticking point for the Palestinian militant group.
Badran spoke in Doha, the Qatari capital, where Israel struck a Hamas meeting last month, killing six people. The statement comes as a ceasefire holds in Gaza ahead of Monday’s deadline for the release of Israeli hostages captured during Hamas’s attacks on 7 October 2023.
Many aspects of Trump’s peace proposal remain unresolved, including Hamas’s disarmament and plans for post-war governance.
Key issues discussed by Hossam Badran include:
| Question | Response |
| Does Hamas intend to retain its weapons? | “Hamas’s weapons are part of the entire Palestinian people’s arsenal. Weapons are a natural right for a people living under occupation. Hamas’s weapons are defensive, individual arms, not tanks, fighter jets, or advanced weaponry.” |
| What happens if Israel attacks again? | “While we hope to avoid war, the Palestinian people and resistance forces will use all their capabilities to repel aggression if imposed.” |
| Next negotiations | “The second phase is more complex than the first. It requires longer negotiations and a Palestinian national dialogue to reach a national answer.” |
| Will Hamas leave Gaza? | “Hamas leaders are on their land among their families and people. Expelling Palestinians from their land is absurd. They will remain in Gaza.” |
| Participation in formal signing | “Hamas will deal primarily through Qatari and Egyptian mediators and will not be involved in official signing.” |
| Pathway to a Palestinian state | “Whether a state is established in the near future is secondary. The key is that the world recognises the Palestinian issue cannot be ignored. Palestinians will persist in their struggle until their fundamental goal is achieved.” |
Badran emphasised Hamas’s readiness to continue resistance against Israel if necessary: “All observers did not expect this war to last two years, yet the resistance, including the Qassam Brigades, has remained capable of steadfastness and directing blows at the occupation army.”
He stressed that the Palestinian people and resistance forces are prepared to confront any renewed aggression: “We hope that we will not return to war, but if imposed, we will undoubtedly use all our capabilities to repel this aggression.”
Badran highlighted that the second phase of negotiations under the Trump plan would be more complex than the first, requiring both:
He stressed that Hamas remains firmly on its land and any suggestion of expelling Palestinians is “absurd and nonsense”.
Hamas underlined that its weapons and resistance are tied to the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Badran made clear that achieving a Palestinian state may not be immediate, but global recognition of the Palestinian issue is essential: “If we do not obtain our right to establish our state during this coming phase, there will be no stability in this region, and the Palestinian people will continue and persist in their struggle and resistance by all forms and by all means until this fundamental goal is achieved
Key Points at a Glance
| Aspect | Details |
| Speaker | Hossam Badran, Hamas political bureau member |
| Location | Doha, Qatar |
| Ceasefire Status | Holding ahead of Monday hostage-release deadline |
| Weapons Policy | Hamas considers its arsenal defensive and part of Palestinian resistance |
| Negotiation Stance | Second phase is complex; requires Palestinian national dialogue |
| Territorial Policy | Hamas leaders will remain in Gaza; expelling Palestinians is rejected |
| Peace Plan Participation | Will not engage in formal signing; works via Qatari and Egyptian mediators |
| Ultimate Goal | Establishment of a Palestinian state; continued resistance if necessary |
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