Arab world tells Hamas to lay down arms and end rule of Gaza

[Twiglets1]

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for the Palestinian terror group to disband on Tuesday, the first time they have done so.

They joined 14 other countries, including Britain and France, in signing a statement that also condemned the Oct 7 terror attacks and told Hamas to give up power.

It is the first time Arab countries have condemned the group and demanded it play no part in the future governance of Palestine.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” reads the declaration, which was produced after a conference at the United Nations.

By signing the statement, the Arab nations also demanded the release of all remaining Israeli hostages.

“Only by ending the war in Gaza, releasing all hostages, ending occupation, rejecting violence and terror, realising an independent, sovereign, and democratic Palestinian State, ending the occupation of all Arab territories and providing solid security guarantees for Israel and Palestine, can normal relations and coexistence among the region’s peoples and States be achieved,” it reads.

The text, which was also signed by Canada and other Western nations, also supports a two-state solution and the deployment of foreign forces to Gaza when the war ends.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/29/arab-world-tells-hamas-lay-down-arms-end-rule-gaza/

So another October 7 is not a reality. Israel has learned that it cannot allow it's border to be so weak and in future it will be relatively easy to guard against a repeat of the obscenity of that day.

The problem there is that much of the critisism Israel has come in for re Gaza, between 2005 and 2023, relates to that border. Descriptions of them being an occupying force keeping Gaza under siege.

So just more of the same, then? Plus business as usual with the rockets?

If the Palestinian people need to rise up against Hamas, then do so the ordinary Israeli people against the genocidal racist government they voted in.

Israel is a democracy. Why would you wish the instability of an uprising on them, who would that help? They can change leaders at the ballot box and I'm sure they will.

Did you once comment that we don't need to worry about Hamas as they dont have the resources to annihilate Israel completely, and Israelis on the border with Gaza only need to worry 'a little'?

Apologies if that wasn't you, your comment above sounds very similar.

Given 5 years of aid, rearming etc I believe another Oct 7 is indeed possible.

I think you're underplaying the threat to Israel. I think if a terrorist entity on the border of my country had done what they did, and threatened to do it again I would want those terrorists absolutely wiped off the face of the earth. I wouldn't want my government to accept anything less.

I think Israel should recognize a Palestinian state when that state recognizes Israels right to be on the land and renounces political violence. I dont think Hamas should have any part of that state.

I agree that the recognition of any Palestinian state should be granted only if the state recognises the State of Israel and it's right to exist, and shows willingness to live alongside it peacefully.

Anything less is neither fair on Israelis or Palestians.

Whether or not another 7/10 is possible kind of misses the point though. For Gazans, they've had 7/10 50 times over, and it's continuing.

I absolutely don't want 7/10 repeated, but there has to be a limit to the number of people that can be murdered to reduce the possibility of that.

The latest number (putting aside hostages fit simplicity) murdered on 7/10 is
1139. And yes, that's 1139 lives stolen that shouldn't have been.

To avoid another 1139 lives, is 60,000 lives ok? 100,000 lives, a million? How about all of them?
There has to be a sense of proportionality here.

I dont understand how you can say whether or not another 7/ 10 is possible is missing the point. For me its the whole point. Hamas needs to be destroyed for Oct 7 to never happen again. Israel looks after Israeli children.

Its for Palestinian leadership to look out for future Palestinian life. Ideally from my point of view by Hamas surrendering and then united Palestinian leadership entering into good faith negotiations with Israel.

I absolutely don't want 7/10 repeated, but there has to be a limit to the number of people that can be murdered to reduce the possibility of that.

See this is the framing of the war I disagree with. The civilian deaths are tragic but they are not deliberate murders, they are collatoral casualties. We don't describe German citizens killed in WW2 as murdered.

I absolutely don't want 7/10 repeated, but there has to be a limit to the number of people that can be murdered to reduce the possibility of that.

If it is repeated, or there's a similar attack, then the same thing will happen to Gaza - isn't it best to find the solution now that means it never happens again? For the sake of everyone in the region?

The question is, why hasn't Hamas agreed to lay down their weapons? That and handing back the remaining hostages (and definitely not releasing a taunting video!) would be an instant end to the war.

Why do they want to remain in power? Possibly continued access to jobs, UNRWA funds etc. But possibly because they still have a strong commitment to their core principle, the annihilation of Israel.

Did you once comment that we don't need to worry about Hamas as they dont have the resources to annihilate Israel completely, and Israelis on the border with Gaza only need to worry 'a little'?
Apologies if that wasn't you, your comment above sounds very similar.
@dairydebris

No need to apologise, it was me, and I reiterate that Hamas do not pose ( nor ever have) an existential threat to Israel. Look at the ratio of dead and injured on each side since the end of 2023 to see that there isn't any way that Israel will be defeated by Hamas. Although barbaric and inhumane, stop building their capabilities up into something they are not.

I dont think Hamas is an existential threat to the nation as a whole. But they certainly are an existential threat to the individual Israelis they come across. And that is enough for me to wish for their removal.

I dont think we can understand each other's position here, so I'll just wish you a good day.

The Israeli people live in a democracy so they only need to vote against the existing government at the next election, which they almost definitely will do.

A few might be 'collateral'. 60,000 is not.

One of the reasons we have things like the Geneva convention now, is because the sort of widespread slaughter that happened in world war II, including from our own side, is no longer deemed okay. What we historically deemed okay or not in warfare, bears little relevance to now. Historically, it was okay to capture the enemy size as slaves, it's not anymore. Historically, sometimes you would count dead by counting penises cut off corpses.

Blowing up a building will that you know it's almost certain to contain families, is no different from shooting those families yourself. Bombing ambulances trying to get the survivors to the hospital, again, no difference from shooting those people. Knowing that kids are slowly being crushed and suffocated to death under buildings, that you've chosen to bomb, and doing nothing about it, that's not collateral damage, and morally it's no different to murder in my opinion.

And that's before we go to the kids that have actually been shot, straighten in the head. All kids like Hind. The IDF knew she was there, and for hours she sat awaiting help amongst the corpses of his slaughtered family, only to meet the same fate.

9/10 AND the ongoing slaughter are equally as disturbing and equally intentional. The deaths of Palestinians and Israelis should be worth the same, but in this messed up world, somehow that's a controversial view.

Apologies. This went right over my head at the time.

A few might be 'collateral'. 60,000 is not.

It depends. This is fighting in a densely populated urban area, with Hamas positioning themselves below critical civilian infrastructure. Also, the 60K are all civilians only if you take what Hamas says as truthful - in reality, many will likely be men killed in combat, or targeted due to intelligence.

Any cases where the IDF has deliberatey shot civilians, knowing they were civilians, should be prosecuted in a court, absolutely.

To use the WW2 example again, the civilian death toll just from the bombing of Dresden alone is put between 25 000 and a quarter of a million. There's no specific cut-off figure.

The deaths of Palestinians and Israelis should be worth the same, but in this messed up world, somehow that's a controversial view.

Believe me, if Israelis had rampaged into Gaza, raping and mutilating civilians, and live-streamed it, my revulsion would be exactly the same as when it was reversed.

For those asking about the PA, here’s some background…

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/01/10/palestinian-authority-terror-payments-holocaust-survivor-israel/77543726007/

From the article:

“Over the years, Hamas has sometimes moderated its public position with respect to the possibility of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. But its political program still officially “rejects any alternative to the full liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea” — referring to the area reaching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which includes lands that now make up.

Al-Hayya did not say whether his apparent embrace of a two-state solution would amount to an end to the Palestinian conflict with Israel or an interim step toward the group’s stated goal of destroying Israel.

Al-Hayya said Hamas does not regret the Oct. 7 attacks, despite the destruction it has brought down on Gaza and its people. He denied that Hamas militants had targeted civilians during the attacks — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — and said the operation succeeded in its goal of bringing the Palestinian issue back to the world’s attention.“

@Lolapusht the PA should not be governing anything while they have this policy, should they? People make a lot of the harsh security checks at the West Bank sectors but this is why. The whole Second Intifada is why.

I've said before, I think Palestinian society needs to be deradicalised. France has now had to halt all evacuations from Gaza as well because one of the refugees decided to post "kill all Jews" all over her socials:

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/08/01/europe/france-gaza-evacuations-halted-intl

"Al-Hayya said Hamas does not regret the Oct. 7 attacks, despite the destruction it has brought down on Gaza and its people. He denied that Hamas militants had targeted civilians during the attacks — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — and said the operation succeeded in its goal of bringing the Palestinian issue back to the world’s attention.“

They've done that all right. And happily paid the price in other people's blood. I'm thinking more and more that was the plan all along. Do something outrageously foul and provocative, and then release a propaganda onslaught.

I've noticed that the propaganda ramped up massively, firstly when Hamas was blocked from getting their hands on the aid supply, and now again with the various talks and pushes both to get Hamas to renounce power, but also various countries saying they'll recognise Palestine.

That being said, most of Hamas' senior leadership and a large proportion of its fighters and dead and Hezbollah is weakened. Iranian leadership is somewhat weakened too.

I wish the whole thing could just conclude. I feel like well-meaning Western support for Gaza has ironically dragged the whole thing out.

That's crazy that you are still claiming that Hamas don't present a threat to Israel even after 7/10.

Would you really like to see a world where 7/10 and it's aftermath got repeated again? Even if you don't care about a couple of thousand Israelis killed by Hamas if they grew strong enough to attack again, surely you care about the bloody retribution that would inevitably follow.

Hamas cannot be allowed to stay in Gaza - their existence there is too high risk for civilians on both sides - and I think that should be obvious to everyone.

Hamas has reaffirmed that it will not agree to disarm unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established, in response to one of Israel's key demands in talks about a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Palestinian armed group said it was responding to remarks it attributed to US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that Hamas had "expressed its willingness" to lay down its weapons.

Israel considers the disarmament of Hamas one of several key conditions for any deal to end the conflict.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages stalled last week.

In the past few days, Arab governments have urged Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza, after a number of Western countries - including France and Canada - announced plans to recognise a state of Palestine. The UK said it would if Israel did not meet certain conditions by September.

Hamas - a proscribed terror group in the US, UK and EU - said in its statement that it could not yield its right to "resistance and its weapons" unless an "independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" was established.

The Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Lt Gen Eyal Zamir warned on Friday that there would be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations failed to quickly secure the release of hostages being held by Hamas
.
And on Saturday, the family of hostage Evyatar David issued a statement after Hamas released a video showing him shirtless and emaciated in a dimly-lit tunnel.

They accused Hamas of starving him as part of a propaganda campaign and appealed to the Israeli government and the United States to do everything possible to save him.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce35nx49reko