Factional and Tribal Consensus in Gaza Rejects Mladenov's Disarmament Plan

Palestinian factions, national forces, and tribal gatherings in the Gaza Strip expressed their strong condemnation of the plan proposed by former UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov, which aims to disarm the Strip through a gradual, multi-stage process. The proposed plan is based on the principle of parallel implementation between Hamas's commitments and Israeli measures within a specific timeline, which Palestinian forces considered an attempt to extract political and security gains for the occupation.

The Islamic Jihad movement affirmed that the resistance's weapons represent public property of the Palestinian people and a legitimate tool for self-defense and achieving major national goals. The movement stressed that the priority must be to end the occupation of Palestinian land and establish an independent state, considering any talk of disarmament while aggression continues as a distortion of facts and a disregard for the roots of the conflict.

For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine warned against succumbing to calls for surrendering weapons without guaranteeing legitimate national rights. The Front clarified that resistance is a right guaranteed by international laws in the face of occupation and continuous violations, noting that the absence of international protection is what drives the Palestinian people to adhere to their defensive options to protect their existence from genocidal policies.

In the same context, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine emphasized its rejection of any distortion in international settlement plans that serves the Israeli agenda. The Front affirmed that any arrangements related to the security situation or weapons must stem from a unified Palestinian stance that places the interests of the people above all other considerations, warning against the occupation's attempts to achieve what it failed to achieve militarily through diplomatic channels.

On the popular level, gatherings of Palestinian clans and tribes announced that the resistance's weapons represent a collective guarantee that cannot be relinquished before the complete disappearance of the occupation. The tribes clarified in separate statements that the utmost priority at the present time must be to stop the war and provide urgent relief to citizens, instead of being preoccupied with schemes aimed at weakening the Palestinian internal front.

Ismail Al-Sindawi, a leader in Islamic Jihad, explained that the core of the crisis lies in the existence of the occupation itself, not in the weapons, which are a natural result of confronting this occupation. Al-Sindawi pointed out that the United States plays a negative role by providing military and political cover for the occupation's crimes, making it a direct partner in the suffering of Palestinians, calling on the international community to compel Israel to abide by signed agreements.

In turn, the Public Relations Department of the Islamic Jihad movement called for international efforts to focus on establishing a ceasefire, ending the war of extermination, and lifting the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip. It affirmed that Mladenov's plan should have included clear mechanisms to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their basic rights to shelter and reconstruction, instead of proposing suggestions that affect the defensive capabilities of the resistance.

In a political reading of the situation, Omar Murad, a member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front, considered that the Palestinians' resort to arms is a natural reaction to the continuous crimes in the face of absolute international silence. Murad affirmed that any proposal that bypasses the people's right to resistance contributes to opening the way for the occupation to escalate its policies of killing and displacement, stressing that this historical right does not lapse with time, no matter how great the pressures.

Murad called for strengthening national unity as a fundamental pillar to confront schemes aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause or distorting the resistance project. He called on the international community to take serious steps to stop Israeli violations and enable Palestinians to exercise their sovereignty, affirming that the Palestinian people will remain steadfast in their principles until the establishment of their state on all their national soil.

For his part, Qais Abdul Karim, a member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front, pointed out fundamental differences between the current proposals and what was previously circulated in international political circles. Abdul Karim affirmed that attempts to adapt international plans to suit Israeli demands are completely rejected, calling for the formulation of a unified national strategy to deal with all proposed political initiatives.

The National Gathering of Tribes and Clans criticized the performance of international envoy Nikolay Mladenov, considering that he failed in carrying out his humanitarian and political duties. Alaa El-Din Al-Aklouk, a member of the Gathering's leadership, affirmed that weapons are not exclusive to a particular faction but belong to the people, and there can be no talk of surrendering them before the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state that ends the last occupation in the contemporary world.

Al-Aklouk questioned the international community's ability to provide genuine guarantees for Palestinian security, at a time when it has so far failed to deliver food and medicine to those besieged. He stressed that the tribes support political endeavors aimed at de-escalating the situation, but not on the basis of withdrawing weapons, but on the basis of extracting national rights and stopping the ongoing aggression.

In a firm stance, Sheikh Salem Al-Soufi, head of the Bedouin Tribes Gathering, said that weapons represent the 'soul' of the Palestinian people who were left alone to face the war of extermination. Al-Soufi recalled the history of Israeli massacres from Deir Yassin until today, affirming that the absence of international protection for decades is what made the possession of weapons an existential necessity to defend dignity and land.

The tribal and factional events concluded their positions by affirming that the popular base of the resistance will not allow any infringement on its weapons under any pretext. Speakers stressed that the only path to security and stability in the region passes through ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to live freely and safely in their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The resistance's weapons are the property of the Palestinian people and a means to achieve their goals, foremost among them ending the occupation and establishing an independent state.