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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/opinion/israel-gaza-hamas-disarming-peace-plan.html
Why Would Hamas Disarm?
(New York Times) Akram Attaallah - After the ceasefire in Gaza and exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the next phase of President Trump's peace initiative centers on the requirement for Hamas to surrender its weapons. Hamas is unlikely to fully relinquish its arms, according to people who have studied the group and understand its psychology. For a movement that built its legitimacy around what it called resistance, giving up its weapons is not just a tactical concession; it is an existential unraveling. If Hamas lays down its arms, what can it tell its supporters? That decades of sacrifice have ended in surrender? Some analysts propose making a distinction between offensive and defensive weapons in negotiations, allowing Hamas to keep the latter. But Israel is unlikely to accept such nuance, and now there is little that would force it to do so. Disarmament could open the door to reconstruction, or it could give other groups and families the opportunity for revenge. The writer is a columnist for Al-Ayyam, based in Ramallah.