Hamas disarmament conditions hinge on Israel commitments, official says
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters the group would only disarm if Israel ends attacks, allows more aid and withdraws forces.
By Jordan Bell · Startups & Deals Reporter
· 3 min read
Hamas disarmament conditions became the main point of dispute after President Donald Trump said a U.S.-led peace body had reached a deal to remove Hamas and other armed groups from Gaza. For investors watching geopolitical risk, meaning political conflict that can affect markets, the exchange shows that the ceasefire process still depends on steps neither side has publicly confirmed as complete.
Trump said Thursday on Truth Social that the U.S.-led Board of Peace had secured an agreement for Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza to disarm. He described the move as a major step toward peace and security and said Israeli forces would leave Gaza as disarmament is finished.
Trump also said an International Stabilization Force would work with a new Palestinian police force to secure Gaza. He thanked mediators and said the threat that came from Gaza on Oct. 7 would not be allowed to rebuild.
Will Hamas disarm in Gaza?
Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Reuters on Friday that the group would not give up its weapons unless Israel first follows earlier commitments. Hamad said those commitments include ending attacks in Gaza, increasing the movement of goods and humanitarian aid into the enclave, and pulling back Israeli forces under a ceasefire agreement reached last year.
“We insisted to the mediators that Israel must abide by the agreement,” Hamad told Reuters.
The Israeli government has not commented on Trump’s announcement, according to CNBC. CNBC said it had contacted Hamas and the governments of Qatar, Egypt and Israel for comment.
What is the Board of Peace?
The Board of Peace is the U.S.-led body set up to oversee the next stage of Trump’s Gaza plan after Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire deal last October. According to CNBC, its role includes supervising demilitarization, arranging a multinational stabilization force and securing Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
Demilitarization means removing armed groups’ ability to fight, including weapons, tunnels, stockpiles and production sites. In this case, it is tied to the second phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which also covers Gaza’s reconstruction.
That second phase has been the hardest part of the plan. CNBC reported that talks had stalled for months because Hamas attached conditions to giving up its arsenal. In May, the group argued that any handover of weapons should be linked to a process that ends with Palestinian statehood.
A roadmap discussed in Cairo would shift authority in Gaza in stages to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, according to CNBC. The plan rests on the principle of “one authority, one law, one weapon” and would include eliminating tunnels, weapons stores and arms-making facilities.
If carried out, the proposal would mark progress for Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war and set up a new Palestinian administration in Gaza. Hamad’s comments to Reuters show that Hamas is still tying disarmament to Israeli action on attacks, aid access and troop withdrawals.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
