Hamas leader claims terror group’s arms ‘guaranteed’ by international law

Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya says the group’s arms are “a right guaranteed by international law” and rejects the potential use of an International Stabilization Force meant to secure the Strip and advance the disarmament of terror groups, as envisioned by US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive ceasefire plan.

In a speech marking the 38th anniversary of Hamas’s establishment, Hayya says the ISF should be limited to “maintaining the ceasefire and separating the parties along the Gaza Strip’s border,” according to written comments published by Hamas.

“We affirm that the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed under international law to all nations under occupation,” says Hayya. “We are open to studying any proposals to preserve this right while guaranteeing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and self-determination for our Palestinian nation.”

The ISF is part of the plan’s second phase, which was enshrined by a UN Security Council resolution last month. The plan suggests a “credible pathway” to Palestinian self-determination and statehood could be possible as a demilitarized Gaza is rebuilt and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority “faithfully” reforms itself so that it is deemed competent to take over the Strip from international forces.

Hayya, in his speech, calls for Hamas and Fatah, which controls the PA, to “reach common ground and agree on a joint national program,” including “reviving Palestinian political life via the ballot box,” suggesting his group seeks to continue ruling the Strip even if under the confines of the Trump plan. The last Palestinian national elections, in 2006, saw Hamas beat out Fatah.

Hayya hails the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023 that sparked the war, and thanks Arab and Muslim countries that have contributed humanitarian aid to Gaza, praises Russia and China for their pro-Palestinian stance at the UN Security Council and salutes “those who supported our people in the city squares, streets and universities,” referring to widespread anti-Israel protests in Western countries, many of which have been linked to increases in antisemitic rhetoric and attacks on Jews.