Hamas has rejected the Arab League’s call to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority and relinquish control over Gaza, considering it a condition imposed by the international community for recognizing the Palestinian state. Netanyahu declared that the war and siege will not stop unless Hamas disarms. Hamas supporters, mostly outside Palestine, disregard that this Arab demand reflects the will of Gaza’s people, as evident from their social media accounts, and they condemn stopping armed conflict against Israel because they are driven by ego and pride, viewing Israel as a fundamental defeat. They rejoice in Hamas operations without caring about the destruction of Gaza and the extermination of its people. This situation has a precedent in Islam with the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty between the Prophet and the people of Mecca, described by the Quran as a ‘clear victory’ (“Indeed, We have given you a clear victory”).

Ibn Mas’ud said: ‘You consider the conquest as the conquest of Mecca, but we consider the conquest as the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty.’ However, Muslims disliked the treaty; Umar ibn al-Khattab questioned the Prophet about conceding dignity in religion despite being on the right. The treaty conditions, considered humiliating by Muslims, included a ten-year ceasefire and returning anyone who came to Muhammad from Quraysh back to them, while those who came to Quraysh from Muhammad’s side would not be returned. The wise leader overcame people’s pride to make a peace treaty that served their realistic interests. As a result, more people embraced Islam after the treaty than before, enabling the conquest of Mecca two years later. The lesson is that peaceful means can yield greater gains than war, especially when Muslims are the weaker party.

Palestinians have experienced armed conflict for decades, resulting in the periodic destruction of their camps and cities and the extermination of their people without any real gains. Now there is an irreplaceable opportunity to achieve gains through peaceful means by gaining international recognition of the Palestinian state, with the condition that the Palestinian Authority represents the people, not Hamas. Palestinians have the right to live safely and prosper through scientific and practical achievements without facing periodic total destruction in response to armed group operations. Gaza’s scholars have issued fatwas forbidding jihad currently, similar to the Meccan period, and have prohibited operations against Israel due to the destruction and extermination they bring upon Palestinians. Hamas believes their winning card is exposing Palestinians to massacres through their operations to emotionally pressure the world into negotiations.

Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad said: ‘We encourage Israel to bomb because it increases global sympathy and promotion for us; the more they bomb us, the more we expand.’ This admission shows their weapon is not for defending Palestinians but to attract massacres for propaganda. Gaza’s Mufti Dr. Salman al-Daya condemned this policy. The real winning card for Palestinians is international recognition that enables them to seek help from international bodies to remove injustices. Countries refrain from supporting Palestinians under the pretext of Hamas and armed groups’ operations, and Israel has prevented international bodies from working in Gaza, alleging links between their staff and Hamas. The Palestinian people do not benefit from Hamas’s weapons but are harmed by them. For reminder, the Spanish liberated their country through war after 800 years of peace when they became stronger.