Disarming Hamas is “beyond impossible” and not up for negotiation, a member of the group’s political leadership said on Tuesday, days after the militant faction welcomed a unified Palestinian “supervision” of Gaza.

His comments followed a Hamas statement denying remarks attributed to politburo member Mousa Abu Marzouq in an interview with The New York Times. The published statement suggested Mr Abu Marzouq had expressed reservations about the October 7 attacks on Israel and implied some willingness to negotiate the future of Hamas’s weapons in Gaza.

“The possibility of disarming Hamas is beyond impossible,” senior Hamas member Bassam Khalaf told The National. “Hamas categorically rejects even discussing the issue of disarmament in any negotiation."

Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 48,300 Palestinians since it began after the attacks on southern Israel in October 2023. Despite the unprecedented scale of destruction, Hamas still controls the coastal territory.

Israel has made eradicating the group one of its key war objectives but Hamas, which continues to hold dozens of Israeli hostages, has not been defeated.

“I cannot imagine any official, leader, or combatant in the resistance movements willing to lay down their arms, especially within Hamas, which we have seen confronting aggression and continuing to do so,” another Hamas official said.

“The resistance has forced Israel into negotiations despite the occupation’s months-long refusal during the war – how could it now discuss surrendering its weapons?”

The future governing of Gaza remains a central issue in continuing mediation efforts, as warring parties and negotiators seek a long-term solution that could transform the fragile ceasefire into a broader peace process.

One potential pathway to ending the war involves Hamas relinquishing power and possibly disarming in Gaza. Last week, the group stated it was open to sharing Gaza’s administration with the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian factions but rejected a complete handover of power, at least for now.

Ayman Shannaa, a member of Hamas’s political leadership in Lebanon, insisted the group had not signalled any willingness to cede control of the territory to the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

However, he emphasised that Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, is open to a power-sharing agreement that could help “unify” Palestinians against what he described as US President Donald Trump’s proposal of “owning” Gaza and displacing its residents.

“If anyone in this world can guarantee the establishment of a Palestinian state and the liberation of Palestinians, they are welcome to step forward,” the Hamas source stressed. “But until then, Palestinians cannot abandon their only means of self defence,” he added, referring to weapons.