Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan says the terrorist group has not received any formal proposals from mediators regarding the surrender of its weapons.

“We have not received from mediators any draft or official proposals relating to the weapons of the resistance,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera, adding that Hamas has yet to adopt an official stance on “freezing” its arms — a measure the group has previously floated as an alternative to full disarmament.

Reiterating Hamas’s long-standing position, Hamdan insisted that armed struggle remains legitimate.

“The resistance is a right as long as the occupation remains,” he said, using language Hamas typically applies to all of Israel, not only territories captured in 1967.

The comments came a day after a report by The New York Times said mediators working under a U.S.-led “Board of Peace” framework were considering allowing Hamas to retain limited small arms while requiring it to surrender most long-range weapons. According to the report, the proposal was expected to be presented to Hamas in the coming weeks.

Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip will be contingent on the full disarmament of Hamas, a demand the group has consistently rejected.

Hamdan also addressed plans for an International Stabilization Force under President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace initiative. He said Hamas believes the force should operate only along Gaza’s border with Israel.

Its role, he argued, should be limited to “preventing hostilities against our people,” in line with what he described as Trump’s plan.

However, official documents outlining the initiative say the force is intended to train and support vetted Palestinian police units, provide long-term internal security, and help secure border areas — far beyond the narrow role described by Hamdan.

He said Hamas has conveyed its position to Indonesia, which announced this week that it would contribute thousands of troops to the stabilization force. Indonesian forces are expected to be among the first to deploy.

Beyond the weapons dispute, Hamdan accused Israel of undermining key elements of the ceasefire framework. He claimed that Israeli authorities are preventing the entry of a 12-member technocratic committee tasked with administering Gaza under the proposed agreement.

An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the committee will not enter the territory until it is adequately prepared to govern, suggesting internal coordination challenges remain unresolved.

Hamdan also accused Israel of restricting movement through the Rafah border crossing, saying only a small number of people have been allowed to pass since it reopened earlier this month as part of the ceasefire arrangements.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)