Published date: 17 October 2025 21:23 BST

Hamas will not automatically commit to disarming and hopes the ceasefire with Israel will last three to five years to rebuild Gaza, Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

Asked if Hamas would give up its arms, Nazzal said: "I can't answer with a yes or no. Frankly, it depends on the nature of the project. The disarmament project you're talking about, what does it mean? To whom will the weapons be handed over?”

Arab diplomats previously told Middle East Eye that mediators were in discussions with Hamas about turning its weapons over to Arab peacekeepers or locking up long-range weapons such as missiles instead of destroying them.