Hamas assures compliance with Lebanon cease-fire and cooperation with state

BEIRUT — Hamas' representative in Lebanon, Ahmad Abdel Hadi, said in a Thursday statement that the Palestinian Islamist movement "fully respects the cease-fire" with Israel in Lebanon and is coordinating with the Lebanese state, adding that the unclaimed rocket fire towards Israel on March 22 and 28, which led to deadly reprisals on Lebanon, were "individual acts." The statement noted that the group turned over three suspects to Lebanese authorities, noting that a fourth is still being sought.

"The rocket firing incident was an individual act perpetrated by a group of youths, driven by pain and in reaction to the genocide and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza after breaking the cease-fire agreement [on March 18, 2025]," stated its representative. "Hamas was not informed in advance of this action and did not decide it."

The rocket firings were not claimed, fueling suspicions about their perpetrators.

"From the very first moment, and after the Lebanese state's official request to hand over the four wanted persons, the movement cooperated positively and handed over three of them," the statement said. "Coordination is ongoing with the relevant security services to complete the remaining steps."

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Historical warning by Lebanon to Hamas: A step towards disarming Palestinian camps

A cease-fire took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, between Hezbollah and Israel, ending 13 months of conflict that killed more than 4,000 people and injured over 16,500 others in Lebanon, according to Lebanese Health Ministry.

"Hamas took part in the support war alongside the Islamic resistance, Hezbollah, the Amal movement, the Jamaa Islamiya, and other Palestinian factions to face the Zionist aggression against Lebanon," said Abdel Hadi.

The day after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Hezbollah opened a "support front" for Gaza, which escalated into a full-scale war on Sept. 23, 2024, following a major Israeli air offensive on Lebanon.

'Close cooperation' with the Lebanese state

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected on May 21 in Beirut to discuss "the extension of the authority" of Lebanese power to Palestinian refugee camps escaping its control, thus, the disarmament of these overcrowded camps, where some 250,000 refugees live.  Nonetheless Abdel Hadi claimed that "no official authority of the Lebanese state informed us of requests" regarding Palestinian weapons, explaining that "the day the state does so, we will respond with a unified Palestinian position, taking into account the sovereignty and interest of Lebanon, as well as those of the Palestinian people."

The statement specified that an "inter-Palestinian dialogue is ongoing in Lebanon to develop a unified Palestinian vision on this subject and others: human and social rights, the security and stability of our camps, and other issues." It also mentioned "positive and constructive" meetings with the Director General of the General Security, General Hassan Choucair, and the Director of Intelligence Tony Kahwaji, laying "the foundations of close cooperation on issues related to the Palestinian presence in Lebanon in the future."

In an interview on April 30, President Joseph Aoun stated that the authorities were "working to remove heavy and medium weapons from the entire Lebanese territory" and that he should discuss the disarmament of Palestinian camps with Abbas.

On May 2, the Supreme Defense Council warned Hamas, for the first time, "not to use Lebanese territory to conduct any actions compromising national security, under penalty of taking the strictest measures and actions to put an end to any violation of Lebanese sovereignty."

Hamas said it was "informed of this decision" and had "confirmed its commitment."