Hamas Refuses To Disarm, Will Keep Control Of Gaza, And Says The 'Peace Deal' Is Only A Cease-Fire

(A snake will always be a snake.)

The Gaza Peace Plan is not even a week old, and already Hamas is reneging on virtually all parts of the deal hammered out with Washington and Jerusalem. In an interview with Reuters, Hamas politburo member Mohammed Nazzal made it clear that Hamas will not disarm, that it intends to control "security" in Gaza, and that Hamas agreed to a three-to-five-year ceasefire, not a permanent settlement. In his view, what happens after this short ceasefire depends "on Palestinians being given 'horizons and hope for statehood.'" He also defended the ongoing mass executions of civilians in Gaza, saying, "There were always 'exceptional measures' during war, and those executed were criminals guilty of killing." Not to put too fine a point on it, Nazzal gave his interview from Doha, Qatar.

President Trump has said that if Hamas doesn't stop killing people, then action may be taken; Trump: Hamas Either Stops Killing People in Gaza, or Else – RedState*. (  https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/10/16/trump-hamas-either-stops-killing-people-in-gaza-or-else-n2195144 )

*Excerpt:
It's in the nature of Hamas to be murderous and brutal, and only a day after the signing of a historic peace deal between the terrorist group and Israel, Hamas is viciously reasserting control over the parts of Gaza that the Israeli military has withdrawn from; they are committing reprisals and public executions.
Hamas carried out mass public executions in Gaza on Monday, just hours after signing a peace treaty with Israel — as part of a series of bloody reprisals following the withdrawal of Israeli troops, gruesome video shows.
The graphic footage shows eight badly beaten, blindfolded men kneeling in the street before each is shot dead by Hamas gunmen in front of a cheering crowd.
The terror group said, without providing evidence, that the killings targeted “criminals and collaborators with Israel,” the BBC reported.

There is no evidence that Hamas is using this ceasefire as anything but a shield against the Israel Defense Forces. Hamas terrorists are still attempting to attack IDF troops.
The IDF struck several terrorists who were seen exiting a tunnel shaft in the area of Khan Yunis and approaching the troops, the military said Friday.
Additionally, several terrorists were identified exiting a tunnel shaft in the area of Rafah, also in southern Gaza, and opened fire toward IDF troops in the area.
In fact, the plan seems to have stalled shortly after the press conference at Sharm El Sheikh.
None of this should be a shock to anyone. After years of Hamas occupation, there is no civil society left in Gaza, so the idea of self-governance and elections is a joke. Any members of a potential opposition party are now lying face down in the dirt with a 7.62x39mm bullet in their heads. It should also surprise no one that Hamas lied through its teeth to get the pressure off. They will reconsolidate, rearm, and come back again. Unless outside military forces control the food supply, Hamas will quickly gain control of it, and with the food, the people.
I hope there is a plan to force Hamas to keep its word, but it is difficult to see how this deal, as it is shaping up, provides either security for Israel or relief for the people of Gaza.

The 20 point plan is at the link and the items that are becoming “sticky” points are discussed:

https://redstate.com/streiff/2025/10/17/hamas-refuses-to-disarm-will-keep-control-of-gaza-and-says-the-peace-deal-is-only-a-cease-fire-n2195196

What's of real concern here is the "cheering crowd." Was this a group of people who had rifles pointed at them, and were "encouraged" to cheer? Or was this spontaneous? Either way, it's troubling and speaks of troubles that will plague Gaza for generations to come.
It's beginning to look a lot like a peace deal that had many people so hopeful just a few days ago may come apart, just because the snake is being a snake - the snake being Hamas. These people (I use the term "people" in the broadest possible sense) are what they are: Vicious, hateful, and dishonest. No words on paper will change that. It's as I've said and written since this whole thing began: There will be no lasting peace in Gaza until Hamas is no longer a factor. The one thing that may redeem Gaza, foreign investment, will not happen as long as Hamas is present.