Hamas armed wing says disarmament in talks with Israel

Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday discussing the group's disarmament before Israel fully implements the first phase of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire was an attempt to continue what it called a genocide against the Palestinian people.



In a televised statement, Hamas' armed wing spokesperson Abu Ubaida said raising the issue of weapons “in a crude manner” and would not be accepted.

The issue of Hamas relinquishing its weapons is a major obstacle in talks to implement U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed "Board of Peace" plan for Gaza, aimed at cementing a ceasefire that halted two years of full-scale fighting last October.



Hamas has told mediators it will not discuss disarmament without guarantees that Israel will completely quit Gaza.



Ubaida said the disarmament demands were "nothing but an overt attempt to continue the genocide against our people, something we will not accept under any circumstances."