Hamas’ agreement to relinquish its defining symbols, armed struggle and civilian control of Gaza, represents a dramatic development. Yet the path toward implementing the understandings is riddled with problems, requiring Israel to sacrifice intelligence capabilities, withdraw forces and leave the remaining weapons in the hands of a weak technocratic committee.
Disagreements between Israel and the mediators center on the timetable for implementing the agreement and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Israel is demanding that Hamas’ weapons be removed from Gaza, while the agreement calls for them to be stored under the control of the technocratic body.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement and National Missions Minister Orit Strock sent an urgent letter to the prime minister demanding that he immediately convene the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet and stop the implementation of the Board of Peace Gaza roadmap. They say the decision was based on a false presentation and that the current agreement leaves weapons in Gaza, imposes Palestinian Authority law on the Strip and ties the IDF’s hands.
Against the backdrop of the roadmap for disarming Hamas, former senior Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan said Kushner had reached an agreement with Israel to stop striking in Gaza beginning Sunday. “We are continuing talks with the Americans to ensure the agreement is implemented.”
Israeli officials are pleased that Hamas has agreed to surrender its weapons, but warn that no agreement has yet been reached on how the arms will be stored, the pace of the disarmament process or an Israeli withdrawal. Officials estimate that implementation will take at least a year and that Hamas will try to circumvent the agreement.
The terrorist organization has agreed in principle to transfer mortars, shoulder-fired missiles and heavy machine guns to the technocratic committee. However, it refuses to surrender its small arms and is demanding that hundreds of weapons remain in its possession to protect senior officials.
The reported framework is a detailed and rigorous plan for the complete dismantling of Hamas’ weapons and tunnel networks in the Gaza Strip, based on the Trump plan. According to reports, the US agreed to Hamas' proposal to hand its weapons to the technocratic committee set to govern Gaza.
An Egyptian source details the four dramatic issues in the talks with Hamas in Cairo, chief among them the formula for "weapons storage" and the entry of an international force into Gaza. Turkey and Egypt are trying to ease the pressure on Hamas to speed up a signing, while a new representative from the Board of Peace may join the talks.
The pilot program to implement Section 17 of Trump’s plan is set to begin in the coming weeks. The goal is to start separating Hamas from the civilian population. The technocratic committee that is supposed to administer Gaza will not enter the Strip as long as Hamas refuses to disarm.
According to the report, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves to block the reported diplomatic initiative, regional dynamics suggest a potential policy shift following an emerging deal with Iran; "There are no US or Board of Peace plans to transfer any supervisory authority to the Palestinian Authority," a person familiar with the talks tells Israel Hayom.
