Israeli officials said Thursday that Hamas will be fully disarmed under the Trump administration’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, rejecting the militant group’s proposal to merely freeze its weapons stockpile.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The statement followed remarks from senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, who told Al Jazeera that while the group was prepared to suspend its use of weapons, it opposed the complete disarmament outlined in President Donald Trump’s U.S.-sponsored roadmap.
“The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance,” Meshaal said. “What is being proposed is a freeze or storage of weapons to provide guarantees against any military escalation from Gaza with the Israeli occupation.” He added that the group was exploring the proposal with mediators and believed “pragmatic American thinking” could lead to agreement with Washington.
An Israeli government official told AFP, however, that Hamas would have no role in Gaza’s future under the new arrangement. “There will be no future for Hamas under the 20-point plan. The terror group will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized,” the official said.
The plan, which took effect with a ceasefire on Oct. 10, aims to end the conflict that began after Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. The truce remains fragile as both sides accuse each other of repeated violations.
The agreement is structured in three phases. In the first phase, Hamas committed to releasing all 48 remaining captives—both living and deceased—in exchange for Israel freeing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returning hundreds of bodies. The group has released all but one body so far.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that preparations for the second phase were underway. That stage would see Israeli troops withdraw from parts of Gaza and be replaced by an international stabilization force (ISF), while Hamas would surrender its weapons.
Meshaal said Hamas would consider accepting international troops only along Gaza’s perimeter, not inside the territory. “We have no objection to international forces being deployed along the border, like UNIFIL,” he said, referencing the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. “As for the presence of international forces inside Gaza, in Palestinian culture and consciousness that means an occupying force.”
The Hamas leader also suggested that Arab and Islamic countries could serve as guarantors to ensure no future attacks are launched from Gaza.
Netanyahu is expected to meet President Trump in Washington on Dec. 29 to discuss the next steps in implementing the truce and enforcing Hamas’s disarmament under the peace plan.
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