Board of Peace aims to disarm Hamas over eight months
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Hamas would be required to allow the destruction of its vast tunnel network in the Gaza Strip as it lays down its arms in stages over eight months under a disarmament plan presented to the militants by US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”.
The plan follows a timeline that begins with a US-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats taking security control of the enclave and concludes with Israeli forces withdrawing completely upon “verification that Gaza is free of weaponry”.
Hamas’ disarmament is a critical sticking point in talks to implement Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip and cement an October ceasefire that halted two years of full-blown war.
Hamas has long rejected calls to lay down its weapons, which are believed to have largely been transported and stored in tunnels under the Gaza Strip.
Israel says it will not agree to withdraw from the enclave unless Hamas is fully disarmed first.
A Palestinian official close to the talks said the plan was “unfair,” expecting Hamas would seek some “amendments and improvements”.
The official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said the plan did not provide guarantees Israel would carry out its obligations.
It would risk causing the war to resume by linking reconstruction and improvements to living conditions to the political issues such as disarmament, the official said.
The plan’s full text, which was first reported by al-Jazeera, was shared with Reuters by two Palestinian officials involved in the talks.
A Hamas official confirmed its authenticity.
The Board of Peace presented the plan to Hamas last week.
Hamas has not commented publicly on it; a Hamas official said the group was studying it.
On Thursday, three other Palestinian factions including Islamic Jihad issued statements criticising the plan, saying it unfairly prioritised disarmament over issues such as reconstruction and Israeli withdrawal.
The plan includes two components: a 12-point document titled “Steps to Complete the Implementation of Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza” and a five-stage timeline during which Hamas would surrender its arms over eight months.
The first component says that all armed factions in the Gaza Strip, including groups such as Islamic Jihad, will participate in a disarmament process that will be overseen by the Palestinian technocrats, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
“Gaza will be governed under the principle of one authority, one law, one weapon, whereby only individuals authorised by (NCAG) may possess weapons, and all armed factions will cease military activities,” the document says.
The disarmament process will be “verified by the Weapons Collection Verification Committee,” a body that will be set up by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s lead envoy, the document says.
Reconstruction will only be allowed in areas that are designated as demilitarised, it says.
The October ceasefire left Israel in control of well over half of the Gaza Strip, with Hamas keeping a firm grip on the other half of the enclave and its two million people, most of whom are homeless after two years of relentless Israeli bombardment.
Hamas, committed to armed resistance and sworn to Israel’s destruction, has publicly rejected calls to disarm in recent months.
But in private, Hamas officials have voiced openness to disarmament so long as it is done along a political track that would result in the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The 12-point plan reportedly makes no explicit mention of Palestinian statehood or independence.
Reuters