Senior Hamas leader Hossam Badran rejected any proposal for members to leave Gaza, calling it an attempt to expel Palestinians from their homeland.
BY PC Bureau
October 12, 2025: The Palestinian militant group Hamas will boycott the official signing of a long-awaited Gaza peace deal in Egypt, a senior leader confirmed to AFP, citing disagreements with crucial elements of the US-brokered agreement. The move has cast fresh uncertainty over the fragile peace process aimed at ending more than two years of devastating conflict in Gaza.
According to a Times of Israel report, Hamas dismissed as “absurd” any proposal requiring its members to leave Gaza under the terms of the deal. Hossam Badran, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, said such suggestions amounted to an attempt to expel Palestinians from their homeland.
“Proposals to expel Palestinians—whether Hamas members or otherwise—from their homeland are unacceptable and nonsensical,” Badran told reporters, warning that the second phase of the plan would be “fraught with complexities and obstacles.”
#BREAKING Hamas official to AFP:
Hamas will not participate in the official signing of the agreement.
Hamas will repel the aggression if the war resumes in Gaza.
The idea of expelling members of the movement from Gaza are absurd. pic.twitter.com/j62Njupvp8
— The World War (@TheWorldWar12) October 11, 2025
Tensions Ahead of Trump’s Visit
Badran’s remarks come just as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit the Middle East within the next two days to mark the expected release of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza and to promote the next stage of the peace initiative.
A senior Hamas official reiterated that disarmament, one of the core demands of the agreement, remains “non-negotiable.” The official said Hamas could consider relinquishing governance of Gaza but would not surrender its weapons.
On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ended a previous ceasefire in March 2025, has warned that military operations could resume if Hamas refuses to comply with disarmament terms.
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Partial Ceasefire Implementation
Despite Hamas’s objections, Israel began implementing parts of the ceasefire on Friday, October 10, 2025, pulling back troops from several areas of Gaza and allowing displaced civilians to return to neighborhoods flattened by airstrikes.
By Saturday, thousands of Palestinians were seen moving northward—on foot, by vehicle, and in carts—under the protection of a temporary truce that continued to hold.
Under the agreement, Hamas must release the remaining 47 Israeli hostages, both living and deceased, by noon on Monday, October 13, 2025. These are among the 251 hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, attacks. The deal also includes the return of the remains of one hostage held since 2014.
In return, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners, including individuals convicted of deadly attacks, and 1,700 Gazans detained since the start of the war.
War’s Toll and Post-War Security Plan
According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, at least 68,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began—figures that the United Nations considers credible. The war erupted following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, which killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
Under the peace plan, a multinational task force coordinated by the US military will oversee Gaza’s post-war security. The force is expected to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, but no American combat forces will be deployed on the ground.
Analysts say Hamas’s refusal to attend the signing ceremony and its rejection of key terms—particularly disarmament—pose serious challenges to the US-led initiative. With both sides holding firm to their core positions, the fragile ceasefire could collapse, plunging Gaza back into conflict and derailing hopes for a lasting peace in the region.
