By The South Asia Times

DOHA - A senior Hamas leader has declared that the Palestinian movement will neither surrender its weapons nor accept foreign control over Gaza, underscoring deep divisions over the territory’s future even as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire enters a critical phase.

Speaking at a conference in Doha on Sunday, veteran Hamas figure Khaled Meshal said the group would resist mounting pressure from Israel and the United States to disarm, arguing that armed resistance remains legitimate while Palestinian territories are under occupation, according to AFP.

“Criminalizing the resistance and its weapons is something we should not accept,” Meshal said, adding that “as long as there is occupation, there is resistance,” which he described as a right recognized by people living under foreign control.

His remarks come as the Gaza ceasefire moves into a second stage that envisions the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces and the demilitarization of the enclave -- including the disarmament of Hamas, which has long led armed confrontation with Israel.

Hamas has repeatedly called disarmament a red line, though it has previously suggested it might consider transferring weapons to a future unified Palestinian governing authority rather than relinquishing them outright.

Efforts are underway to establish a Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with managing day-to-day governance in the war-ravaged territory. However, uncertainty remains over whether the body would have the authority -- or political backing -- to address the contentious issue of militant arms.

The committee operates under the proposed “Board of Peace,” an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump to oversee the Gaza truce and coordinate postwar reconstruction. The board’s expanding mandate has drawn criticism from some observers who fear it could evolve into an alternative power structure to existing international mechanisms, including the United Nations.

Trump also included controversial figures like envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and former British prime minister Tony Blair in the Gaza Executive Board, who are considered anti-Hamas and pro-Israel.

Meshal urged the Board of Peace to adopt what he called a “balanced approach” that prioritizes reconstruction and humanitarian aid for Gaza’s approximately 2.2 million residents while respecting Palestinian self-governance.

“We reject the logic of guardianship and external intervention,” he said. “Palestinians are to govern Palestinians. Gaza belongs to the people of Gaza and to Palestine. We will not accept foreign rule.”

Analysts said that a durable peace could return only if Hamas participates in all processes including make the group part of Gaza reconstruction efforts.