Israeli FM Sa'ar says Hamas seeks deceptive 'Hezbollah model' in Gaza

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told ABC Network anchor Matt Gutman on Tuesday that the Hamas terrorist organization seeks “to take the ‘Hezbollah model’ and let someone else take care of the ruins they left behind in the Gaza strip.”

Sa'ar was referring to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which recently claimed it is willing to relinquish political influence while maintaining its military power.

Hamas recently suggested that it might accept the Palestinian Authority (PA) taking political control of Gaza after the war. However, the Israeli foreign minister warned that Hamas still “wants to continue to be the most powerful military force in the Gaza Strip in order to continue the war against Israel.”

“And you’re saying this is something Israel will not accept?” Gutman asked Sa’ar. 

“No, this is totally unacceptable,” he responded. “Because for us, we will not be able to guarantee our security without this disarmament of the Gaza Strip, of Hamas, of Islamic Jihad.”

“If they will be ready to disarm,” Sa'ar continued, “that would be a huge thing that could change the entire equation.”

I said in an interview on @ABC with @mattgutmanABC: The war in Gaza will not end without the demilitarization of Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/qMSpT2vQ1L

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 11, 2025

However, Hamas has so far refused to disarm, vowing to continue the “resistance” against Israel.

Last month, U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus demanded that Hezbollah be excluded from the new Lebanese government. 

“We have set clear red lines in the United States that [Hezbollah] won’t be able to terrorize the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government,” Ortagus told Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a meeting.

While Hezbollah has been militarily and politically weakened, its representatives were eventually included in the new administration.

The ceasefire in Lebanon calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and relocation of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River.

The Lebanese army has a partial presence in southern Lebanon but is widely regarded as weak and ineffective compared to the militarily dominant Hezbollah.

In addition, Hezbollah has infiltrated both the Lebanese government and military.

The Israel Defense Forces have largely withdrawn from southern Lebanon but continue to retain five strategic points within Lebanese territory to safeguard nearby Israeli border communities.

Despite fragile ceasefires with Hezbollah and Hamas, the IDF recently targeted terrorist threats in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Judea, and Samaria, assessing them as immediate risks to national security.

Hamas and Israel have reportedly been preparing to resume fighting, as the current truce in Gaza is not expected to last.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both financially and militarily backed by the Iranian ayatollah regime in Tehran, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction.