In a fiery address that could torch hopes for peace in Gaza, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal has outright rejected President Donald Trump’s carefully crafted 20-point peace plan.
Speaking via video at the “Pledge to Jerusalem” conference in Istanbul on Saturday, Mashal made it clear that Hamas has no intention of laying down arms or accepting international oversight, as broadcast on Al Jazeera.
Mashal’s speech celebrated the October 7, 2023, “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack on Israel as a pivotal moment, framing Gaza as the spearhead of a broader push to oust Israel from what he calls “our homeland.”
With a tone that practically dared the world to challenge him, Mashal dismissed core elements of Trump’s plan, including disarmament, the deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), and Hamas stepping away from power in Gaza.
He doubled down on armed resistance, declaring, “The resistance and its weapons are our honor and glory,” as reported by Al Jazeera, showing zero interest in compromise. That’s a bold statement, but it’s hard to see how clinging to weaponry advances anything but more conflict.
Mashal also scoffed at any form of external control, rejecting what he called “guardianship” or “re-occupation” over Palestinian territories, including the Trump-backed ISF meant to secure and rebuild Gaza.
Adding a twist to the narrative, another Hamas figure, Bassem Naim, struck a slightly softer note on Sunday, telling the Associated Press in Doha that the group might consider “freezing or storing” weapons for a 5-to-10-year truce.
While Naim rejected international forces inside Palestinian areas, he floated the idea of U.N. monitoring at Gaza’s borders. It’s a sliver of daylight, but one wonders if this is genuine flexibility or just tactical posturing.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Ministry didn’t mince words, accusing Hamas of “making a mockery of President Trump’s peace plan,” as posted alongside video clips of Mashal’s speech.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while open to testing an international force, expressed skepticism about its ability to handle Gaza’s toughest challenges alone, emphasizing disarmament as non-negotiable in the plan’s second phase.
Netanyahu noted progress on the ceasefire’s first phase, with most hostage exchanges nearly complete, and signaled upcoming talks with Trump to hammer out details on ending Hamas’s rule.
Retired U.S. Army Major John Spencer chimed in on X, pointing out that Hamas lacks the leverage or global backing it once had, suggesting Israel could keep targeting the group while stability zones are established.
Trump’s plan, endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, envisions an ISF taking over from Israeli forces, a technocratic Palestinian body running Gaza, and Hamas stripped of all military capacity—a tall order given Mashal’s defiance.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned that Mashal’s rejection undermines the very conditions needed for ceasefire and hostage deals to progress, casting a shadow over diplomatic efforts.
As the dust settles on Mashal’s speech, the divide couldn’t be starker: Hamas clings to its arsenal while the U.S. and Israel push for a demilitarized Gaza. If peace is the goal, someone’s got to blink first—and it doesn’t look like Mashal is volunteering for the job.
