Hamas’ military leadership in Gaza has now reportedly rejected the peace deal put forward by President Donald Trump, according to reports from the BBC, which cited the terrorist group’s refusal to release Israeli hostages and accept an end to the fighting.
The BBC reported that Izz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that his group will not agree to Trump’s proposal. “Izz al-Din al-Haddad is thought to believe the plan was designed to finish Hamas, whether the group accepts it or not, and so is determined to fight on,” the outlet said.
Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, retains control over the remaining 48 hostages inside Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. “Hamas know that if they release the Israeli hostages, they will lose any leverage they have,” Arab News acknowledged. The power to decide the future of negotiations, therefore, rests in the hands of Hamas’ most hardened commanders rather than with political leadership.
Al-Haddad, also known as “Abu Saheeb,” has been central to Hamas’ military strategy for years. According to Israel Behind the News, he convened a secret meeting with his battalion commanders on October 6, just hours before Hamas launched its surprise assault on Israel. In that meeting, al-Haddad distributed a page bearing the official logo of the Hamas brigades.
“With faith in crushing victory, the leadership of the brigades has approved the start of the major military operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’,” the page declared. Al-Haddad urged his fighters to “place your faith and trust in Allah, rely on Him and fight bravely, act with a clear conscience, and let the cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’ be the crowning glory.”
Israel’s Kan News has described al-Haddad as the architect of guerrilla warfare strategy in northern Gaza. The broadcaster’s Palestinian affairs desk noted that al-Haddad was long considered a successor to Mohammed Deif, Hamas’ notorious military commander who for decades orchestrated suicide bombings, kidnappings, and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Deif was also a central planner of the October 7, 2023 massacre, when Hamas terrorists broke into Israel, slaughtered civilians, and abducted dozens into Gaza.
That attack shocked Israel and the world, setting off the current conflict. Deif was ultimately killed in an Israeli airstrike in July 2024, leaving al-Haddad as one of Hamas’ most dangerous remaining leaders.
The refusal to accept Trump’s peace plan reflects Hamas’ entrenched commitment to violence, even as international mediators attempt to broker a deal.
President Trump has sought to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages and ending its campaign against Israel, but al-Haddad’s defiance underscores the challenge of negotiating with a group whose leadership views war as preferable to compromise.
For Israelis, the rejection is a grim reminder that Hamas remains committed to its founding mission of destruction. For Americans, it highlights the reality that Trump’s push for peace is being met not with concessions, but with vows from Hamas commanders to continue a fight that has already taken countless innocent lives.
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