Senior official in the US-backed Board of Peace denies claims that the Gaza ceasefire is floundering, confirms reports that Trump administration is considering allowing Hamas to retain some weapons during first stage of disarmament.
By World Israel News Staff
A senior official in the US-backed Board of Peace confirmed reports that the Trump administration is considering plans for an incremental demilitarization of the Gaza Strip which would allow Hamas to retain some of its weapons during an interim period.
According to a report published by Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, the senior Board of Peace official confirmed reporting by The New York Times which claimed that the US may agree to let Hamas keep its small arms while its heavier weapons are decommissioned.
The official claimed that Hamas has agreed to some form of disarmament, starting next month, though the group’s light weaponry will be handed over only at a later date.
Publicly, the terror group has repeatedly insisted it will not disarm, with Hamas politburo chairman Khaled Mashal stating this week that Hamas has proposed an extended ceasefire with guarantees not to use its weapons as an alternative to disarmament.
Hamas, the Board of Peace official explained, has told mediators that it cannot surrender its small arms immediately, claiming that were it to do so, it would be vulnerable to attacks by rival groups inside Gaza.
The source denied claims that the Gaza ceasefire is on the verge of collapse, stating that in fact significant progress is being made towards the implementation of the second phase of the deal.
The demilitarization of the Gaza Strip will begin in roughly a month, the official claimed, beginning with the demolition of the coastal enclave’s extensive tunnel network.
After that, weapons production facilities will be dismantled and heavy weapons decommissioned, with a focus on missiles, rockets, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades.
Only after the preceding stages of the disarmament plan are completed and a unified security force established in the Gaza Strip will Hamas be required to hand over the remainder of its arsenal, the official said.
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