'Hamas is finished, politically and militarily': Gazans call for group to accept ceasefire deal

Militant group has faced growing calls to end war after fighting resumed last month

Palestinians protest in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, on March 26, chanting anti-Hamas slogans and demanding an end to the war. Reuters

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Facing intensified Israeli attacks, mass forced displacement and dwindling food supplies, civilians in Gaza have lost patience with the drawn-out negotiations for a renewed ceasefire and are calling on Hamas to accept truce terms that would bring a permanent end to the war.

Israel has offered a temporary pause to allow the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees, along with a lifting of its blockade on aid deliveries, but Hamas insists on a formula that will ensure an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory. It also rejects Israel's demand that the group must disarm and its leadership leave Gaza for the war to end.

Hamas official Suhail Al Hindi, a member of the group's political bureau, reiterated this stance in a statement acknowledging that it had received a new proposal from mediators for a 45-day truce.

“The movement has begun studying the latest proposal presented to the Hamas leadership delegation and will respond once our internal consultations are complete,” Mr Al Hindi said.

“The resistance will not concede on the complete cessation of the war and the total withdrawal of the occupation forces. Any new ideas or proposals that fail to guarantee these conditions are bound to fail.”

Adham Salama, 44, a displaced resident of Deir Al Balah whose home in Rafah city was destroyed, said that while he agreed that a temporary truce was not enough, he also did not believe that Hamas was able to fight effectively any longer.

“We want any decision that could end the war but if it's a temporary ceasefire that leads to the resumption of the war, then we say no – we don't want temporary solutions,” Mr Salama told The National.

“Hamas doesn't have weapons now. Fifty per cent of Gaza has become isolated and the pistol or Kalashnikov is not a strategic weapon,” he said, referring to the Israeli military's strategy of cordoning off large areas of the enclave after fighting resumed on March 18.

“Militarily, Hamas is finished. And politically, it's finished too. Even its civil institutions have collapsed. Only small groups remain, those with the prisoners [hostages] and the movement abroad with its supporters. This is what remains,” he said.

Recent weeks have seen rare protests against Hamas, which has not tolerated any signs of opposition since it seized control of the enclave in 2007, to demand an end to the war.

“Hamas doesn't listen to anyone, and therein lies the dilemma between it and the people. There has to be a solution,” Mr Salama said.

Ashraf Mahmoud, 51, a resident of Al Nasser Street in Gaza city, whose home was also destroyed, expressed frustration with Hamas’s priorities.

“It is clear that all Hamas cares about is what happens the day after the war,” Mr Mahmoud said. “It wants to remain in control of Gaza, preserving what little power it has left to impose its rule on the wounded, grieving and hungry citizens.

“Every time it rejects an offer, a worse one follows, because Israel has realised Hamas's weakness in the face of its strength. It’s no secret that Hamas's survival actually serves Israel’s interests. It fits into their plans, most importantly, preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state and maintaining the division between Gaza and the [occupied] West Bank.”

He despaired over Hamas's unwillingness to lay down arms. “Have weapons ever stopped the killing? Weapons can be replaced, but lives cannot. This isn't about submission; preventing harm takes precedence over gaining benefit. Enough killing and displacement, we are tired.”

Mahmoud Taha, 40, whose home in Al Zahra neighbourhood south of Gaza city was destroyed, said he was in favour of “stopping this massacre against the Palestinian people in Gaza under any circumstances and under any agreement, even if it is somewhat unjust”.

“We are enduring the worst kinds of suffering, personally, socially, and psychologically, at the hands of a criminal, bloodthirsty enemy that no one in the world can stop,” he said.

“Personally, I have not authorised any person to speak on my behalf. A leader who sees his people being slaughtered and subjected to the worst forms of oppression in history, and then carries a draft [truce] and says, 'We will study it within a week,' is not a responsible leader.”