Hamas willing to discuss ‘freezing or storing’ weapons, senior official says, amid concerns over ceasefire
Bassem Naim
By Oren Liebermann, CNN
(CNN) — Hamas is willing to discuss “freezing or storing” its weapons, a senior official said on Sunday, amid concerns that the nascent ceasefire deal between Israel and the militant group could collapse.
Speaking to the Associated Press in Qatar on Sunday, Bassem Naim said that Hamas is “very open minded” about what to do with its remaining weaponry.
The US-brokered ceasefire deal requires Hamas to give up its arms under the supervision of independent monitors as part of the demilitarization of Gaza.
Disarmament is a key part of the second phase of the 20-point ceasefire agreement.
“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” Naim told the AP.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “very close” to moving to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
But crucial details are still missing, including what countries will take part in an international security force intended for Gaza, a critical part of the agreement.
Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s priority in the next phase, which is “to disarm Hamas and demilitarize Gaza.”
It is unclear if Naim’s stated intention of “freezing or storing” weapons would meet Israel’s demand for disarmament under the ceasefire.
He emphasized that any international force, even under the mandate of a UN Security Council resolution, would have limited authority in Gaza.
“We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations,” he said.
“But we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to do or to be implemented inside the Palestinian territories.”
Meanwhile at the Doha Forum on Saturday, Qatar, Egypt and Norway expressed their concern that the ceasefire is at risk, with negotiations over the next phase at a critical moment.
“Now, we are at a critical moment (of the Gaza ceasefire),” said Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. “It’s not yet there, so what we have just done is a pause.”
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