For the first time in months, there are signs that Hamas may be willing to entertain a longer-term ceasefire in Gaza. A proposal of a five-to-sevenyear truce offers a glimmer of hope for a population battered by relentless conflict, siege, and despair. Yet, even amid this tentative opening, the uncompromising realities at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain stubbornly unresolved. At the core lies the question of arms. Hamas has made it abundantly clear that while it is willing to discuss an extended truce, it will not surrender its weapons. For Hamas, its arsenal is not merely a tactical advantage but a symbol of resistance against what it perceives as on-going occupation and injustice.

From its perspective, disarmament would be tantamount to capitulation without a final settlement on Palestinian statehood or sovereignty. On the other side, Israel remains steadfast in its demand for the demilitarisation........

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