Hamas Denies Reports of Plans to Surrender Its Weapons

The militant group Hamas on Sunday denied media reports claiming it was ready to hand over its weapons to international authorities as part of a peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending the ongoing war.

Earlier that day, some outlets had reported that Hamas had agreed to transfer its weapons to a joint security body composed of Palestine and Egypt, allegedly notifying the United States of the decision.

Hamas quickly dismissed the reports, calling them “false claims meant to deceive the public and distort the truth.”

The group said: “The information circulated has no basis in fact; it is merely intended to undermine our position and confuse the people.”

On Friday, October 3, 2025, Hamas had accepted part of Trump’s peace plan, expressing readiness to release Israeli hostages still held captive and return the bodies of the dead, but it made no commitment to disarmament.

Mousa Abu Marzook, a senior Hamas official, told Al Jazeera that “weapons will only be handed over to the State of Palestine once it is established, and whoever governs Gaza will have the weapons.”

His statement underscored that Hamas has no intention of surrendering its weapons until a sovereign Palestinian state exists.

Hamas abducted around 250 people during its October 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel, which left at least 1,200 dead, triggering Israel’s massive military campaign in Gaza. The group is still believed to be holding around 50 hostages, some of whom are feared dead.