A senior Hamas official on Tuesday welcomed reports that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair had been removed from the proposed “Gaza Peace Board,” calling the development “a step in the right direction” and using the moment to lay out the terror organization’s hardening conditions for any future ceasefire arrangement.

Taher al-Nunu, a senior adviser within the Hamas leadership, told Al Jazeera that the group had repeatedly pressed mediators to exclude Blair, accusing him of holding a “clear bias in favor of Israel.” Blair, who has been involved in various Middle East diplomatic initiatives since leaving office, has long been viewed by Hamas as unacceptable in any framework that shapes Gaza’s political future.

In his remarks, al-Nunu signaled that Hamas is open to negotiating a long-term ceasefire — but only on its own terms. “Hamas is ready to reach a long-term ceasefire agreement, provided that Israel fully commits to a ceasefire,” he said, reiterating the group’s position that it will not accept any arrangement that limits its ability to rearm or operate militarily.

He went further, declaring that the weapons of Hamas and other Palestinian factions would eventually form part of the arsenal of a future Palestinian state, rejecting outright the notion that any international force could forcibly disarm the group. “We reject any discussion of the possibility that an international force would forcibly disarm the resistance organizations,” al-Nunu said.

The comments reflect ongoing friction within diplomatic circles as negotiators attempt to craft a postwar framework for Gaza. Multiple international proposals have floated the idea of a multinational stabilization force to secure the territory and prevent Hamas from rebuilding its military infrastructure, a concept Hamas says it will never accept.

Al-Nunu acknowledged that Hamas has so far received no clear plan outlining the composition or mandate of any such force. But he expressed confidence that “no state would agree to send soldiers” to Gaza if the mission involved dismantling Palestinian terrorist groups by force, suggesting that Hamas believes it retains leverage over the international community’s willingness to participate.

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