Interview| Al-Nunu on disarming Hamas: ‘Every Palestinian home has a Kalashnikov or a pistol’

The more Israel’s war on Gaza drags on, the more complicated and foggy the situation becomes. Inside Israel, pressure is building towards an explosion, while the resistance’s options diminish as the conflict approaches its third year. This has pushed Hamas to show a level of flexibility not seen in previous rounds of talks, even as Israeli intransigence persists and fundamental questions remain about Gaza’s “day after”. What will become of Hamas? What is the fate of the resistance’s weapons? And who will rule the territory?

To explore these questions and assess the state of negotiations aimed at ending Israel’s assault on Gaza—or at least achieve an initial humanitarian truce—Al Manassa held an interview in its Cairo office with Taher Al-Nunu, media adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, during his visit to Egypt with the Hamas delegation participating in ceasefire talks.

The fate of the resistance’s weapons

Negotiations repeatedly touch on the issue of Hamas’ weapons, which Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, backed by the US, insists must be dismantled. Al-Nunu, however, said, “Weapons are tied to the political file. If a fully sovereign Palestinian state were established in the West Bank and Gaza, then there would be no need for the factions to keep arms. Fighters would become part of the state army or police, and the matter would be settled smoothly.”

He questioned what kind of weapons Netanyahu was referring to. “Are we talking about ballistic or nuclear missiles? In reality, Netanyahu himself admitted—and his statement became a trend in Israeli society—that Palestinian fighters are facing the army with a Kalashnikov and flip-flops.”

For Al-Nunu, the debate over disarmament is “meaningless.” He explained that “not a single Palestinian home is without one or two weapons, whether a Kalashnikov or a pistol. So talk of disarmament can only take place in the context of a path leading to a sovereign Palestinian state.”

Scenarios for the day after

Discussions about Gaza’s future after the war have included the idea of a “support committee” to administer the territory. But according to Al-Nunu, Hamas favors a broader vision; a Palestinian national unity government made up of technocrats and independents, and covering both the West Bank and Gaza Strip with no geographic or political divisions.

“Unfortunately, our brothers in the Palestinian Authority/PA are not yet ready for this option,” he said.

Instead, an Egyptian proposal, already accepted by the factions, calls for creating an independent Gaza administration headed by a PA minister. Al-Nunu said about 40 names had been agreed upon to form the committee, none of them Hamas members.

“Why wait for the day after?” he asked. “Why not form this committee now so it can take responsibility for the territory, oversee aid distribution, manage local affairs, and be present on the ground immediately?”

He identified “the obstacle” as “our brothers in the PA, who have not responded so far, despite being informed through Egypt.”

Hamas rejects  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ insistence that the group and other factions hand over their weapons to the PA.

“When the occupation demands disarmament, its motives are understandable, even if we reject them. But when the PA itself brings the issue up, it raises questions. The PA has not yet offered a successful model worth emulating,” Al-Nunu told Al Manassa.

The war of starvation

During Al-Nunu’s visit to Cairo, the UN formally declared famine in Gaza City, but he rejected the term.

“This is a war of deliberate starvation. What is happening is not due to floods or bad weather. It is man-made, deliberately planned and executed by the occupation through cutting off food, water, and medicine. Even water wells were blown up. Soldiers put explosives in them so they would not provide water for Palestinians in the future.”

Al-Nunu called on the UN to go further. “It should not just say there is famine. It should say the Israeli occupation is starving the Palestinian people.” Even given the acknowledgement of famine, all he could do, he said, was wait for the international community to act to end the genocidal war. “In the past, planes and tanks moved into action for far less important reasons.”

“This is the first time starvation is part of combat operations, openly stated by occupation leaders like Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Smotrich even threatened to quit the government if food were allowed into Gaza,” Al-Nunu noted.

The war of starvation has already had ripple effects in Europe. Al-Nunu pointed to the resignation of the Dutch foreign minister which followed the UN declaration. “That resignation and that announcement may be ethical, but the world watches the slaughter of children and women live on air without lifting a finger, because the occupation has US cover.”

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The Hamas official doubted the famine declaration would alter Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza.

“The occupation does not care about such announcements. It does as it pleases and acts with total disregard for the world and accountability so long as it has the American green light. Consequently, it tramples over all values, ethics, and international norms,” he said.

Egypt’s role: condemnation or vindication?

This Hamas delegation’s visit to Egypt had particular weight, coming after remarks by Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas’s Gaza political bureau, about Egypt’s role in supporting Gaza.

Al-Hayya's comments coincided with protests outside Egyptian embassies in Europe accusing Cairo of complicity in the blockade and Rafah crossing closure. There were even demonstrations in Tel Aviv by the Islamic movement among Palestinians inside Israel.

“Egypt is the only gateway for people to leave Gaza, through Rafah. Egypt has tried every way to bring in aid, but it is the Israeli occupation that closes the crossing,” Al-Nunu told Al Manassa defending Cairo’s role. “Egypt has stood with us from the first day of this war until now.” He added praising Egypt’s mediation efforts towards a ceasefire.

The veteran Hamas official also denied any misunderstanding between the group and Egyptian officials. Al-Hayya’s words, he said, were “an appeal out of affection and trust, knowing the weight and role Egypt can play internationally. Honestly, Egypt is exerting great effort.”

Al-Nunu stated that the protests coinciding with Al-Hayya's remarks are not the first time the movement has referenced Egypt. “In Palestinian culture we call this 'mouna' which means speaking out of closeness and love. That was clarified in contacts before this visit, which itself came at the invitation of the Egyptian leadership. If there had been a misunderstanding, there would have been no invitation,” he explained. “Egypt is bigger than any dispute with anyone.”

Negotiations: Hamas' flexibility, Israeli stalling

The Hamas delegation’s visit to Cairo focused on ceasefire talks, with Hamas unconditionally accepting an Egyptian proposal.

The plan calls for the release of 10 Israeli captives held by the resistance over a 60-day period during which fighting would stop, aid would flow, roads would reopen, and occupation forces would withdraw to specified areas. Negotiations would continue towards a permanent ceasefire ending the war.

Al-Nunu highlighted one key difference from past deals. “When we signed the January agreement that began on Jan. 17, the occupation unilaterally withdrew from it on March 2 without any justification and ended the agreement. This time, we want to fortify the deal so that such a scenario cannot be repeated.”

Another sticking point was territorial withdrawal. “At one point, the occupation wanted to hold onto about 40% of the Strip. Accepting that would mean reoccupation of the Strip, which we cannot accept,” he said.

Despite Hamas’s approval of the Egyptian plan, Netanyahu announced the war would continue and ordered negotiations to shift towards Israel’s terms: release of all captives and an end to military operations on Israel’s terms. Al-Nunu called this “a tactic to buy time and prolong the war.”

He said Hamas had been proposing a comprehensive deal since March. “Netanyahu rejected it, insisting on a partial, phased deal. When we finally accepted, he backed out again and wanted to return to the comprehensive deal. It is just a way to avoid ending the war, because he still cannot present Israelis with an image of victory.”

He dismissed Israeli media leaks about new negotiation rounds. “From the start of the war, Israeli media has offered only lies and disinformation. They never tell the Israeli public the truth. We have received nothing official from mediators or indirectly from the Israeli occupation.”

As for Netanyahu’s actual stance on talks, Al-Nunu said “Mediators put forward a proposal. He neither accepted nor formally rejected it. He just tries to blur the issue.”

Two years after the Al-Aqsa Flood: gains and consequences

A year ago, on the first anniversary of Hamas’ Al-Aqsa Flood operation, Al-Nunu—based in Doha—appeared frequently on TV defending the attack as a turning point, saying “It achieved leaps for the Palestinian cause and for liberating Palestine.” He described Israel as “a sacred cow no one dared approach, until Oct. 7 shattered that myth.”

As the second anniversary approaches, with more than 60,000 killed in Gaza, Al-Nunu differentiated between the operation and its aftermath. “Al-Aqsa Flood was a successful Palestinian military operation par excellence. Politically, its effects are accumulating,” said the Gaza native, whose brother, a doctor, was executed by occupation forces at Al-Shifa Hospital. He argued Israel’s actions over two years aim “to erase the operation’s consequences so it won’t pay a political price on top of the military and security price it has already paid.”

Al-Nunu, who said 70 members of his extended family have been killed, accused the Israeli occupation of trying to “kill the Palestinian people’s spirit of resistance,” describing the war as “revenge against the entire population of Gaza.”

These are not the occupation’s only goals in the war that followed Al-Aqsa Flood. Rather, it “wants to solidify the idea that it cannot be defeated and that it is a deeply rooted, permanent state,” Al-Nunu explained. Despite the worsening situation in Gaza, with the war of starvation and the ever-rising death toll, he believes that Israel’s goals remain unmet.

“The will of resistance among Palestinians has not changed. Every day we see resistance operations in Gaza and the West Bank. So, the occupation has failed to convince the Palestinian people that resistance is not the path to liberation.”

Looking further, he questioned Israel’s future. “The existence of the occupation has been questioned. Even inside Israel, voices say this entity cannot survive.” He cited the “unprecedented” internal divisions since Oct. 7 that “threaten the state’s existence.”

He also pointed to the confrontation with Iran. “We saw Iran strike with full force. The US imposed a cease-fire on Israel because it realized those strikes were too painful for the entity.”

Despite the ongoing murderous war and starvation, Al-Nunu reiterated Hamas’s ultimate goal. “Liberating Palestine. But how that is achieved is another question. If the world could give us our rights without bloodshed and impose that on the occupation, we are fully ready for that path. No rational person would refuse.”

Yet, Al-Nunu does not think that that the political negotiations that began in the 1990s in Madrid and Oslo is the right path. “What use are they now in the West Bank?” he asked highlighting the ongoing violations faced by West Bankers, who are at a remove from the direct aftermath of Oct. 7.

“We are witnessing spatial and temporal partition at Al-Aqsa Mosque, silent displacement from camps like Nur Shams and Jenin, daily killings, settlement, and land seizures. The West Bank has become a series of cantons. A five-minute walk from one camp to another takes seven hours because of checkpoints.” He accused the PA of playing “a functional security role for the occupation by suppressing resistance.”

Invasion of Gaza and the resistance’s last card

Recently, all signs have been pointing to an imminent ground offensive in Gaza City, raising questions about the fate of the captives held by the resistance, which is perhaps the last card in their possession to pressurize the occupation government and Netanyahu. “Netanyahu has nothing left except to increase the deathtoll, destroy more homes and infrastructure, and spread more terror,” said Al-Nunu.

But, he stressed, “Freeing the captives by force is impossible. For two years Netanyahu has tried and failed. Their release can only happen through a prisoner swap with the Palestinian resistance, which he tries to avoid.”

He suggested the occupation may instead kill the captives. “If Netanyahu had known their location, he would have killed them.” He noted past cases, in which Israel had executed captives, and that an invasion of Gaza could involve decisions to kill them.

Al-Nunu and the Hamas delegation have returned to Doha, yet all eyes and hearts are still fixed on Gaza. The region continues to endure relentless war, widespread starvation, and mass killings; a situation that leaves many questions unanswered. What is the true cost of resistance? What does the future hold for negotiations? Will this tragedy ever end? And who will govern Gaza when the fighting finally stops?