Saudi Report: Hamas Considering Political Track, End to Fighting Force
Hamas leaders inside and outside the Gaza Strip are reviewing options for the group’s future, including a proposal that would end its armed activity and shift it into a political framework, according to a report in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. The report cites unnamed Hamas sources who say the idea would dissolve the group’s military wing and recast Hamas as a political organization “capable of taking part in political, economic, social and general public life.”
The proposal also includes joining the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. According to the source, entry into the PLO could allow Hamas to become “an important political actor” alongside other Palestinian factions and reopen political processes in the territories.
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The source said the group’s leadership is aware of declining public support after two years of war and heavy Palestinian casualties and argued that becoming a political party could secure Hamas’s “survival away from its weapons.”
The discussions reportedly follow previous conversations with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and the matter has also been raised indirectly with the United States. However, the source emphasized that any decision to disarm would occur only “through a Palestinian national agreement,” ruling out Israeli or UN involvement.
Earlier this month, the United Nations adopted a US-sponsored resolution creating an International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza, part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan. The force could participate in demilitarization efforts. The Hamas source warned that the group would not accept attempts by the ISF to “impose itself by force to disarm,” saying this could lead to “an undesirable and dangerous state of chaos.”
According to the report, the proposal to eliminate Hamas’s armed wing and shift to political activity has been submitted to the group’s politburo, the Shura Council, and other internal bodies.
