Members of Hamas
'Israel' insists on disarming Hamas despite weapons freeze proposal
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
• 'Israel' says disarmament of Hamas is essential under US-backed Gaza peace plan.
• Hamas proposes weapons “freeze” instead of total disarmament.
'Israel' reaffirmed Thursday that Hamas “will be disarmed” as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, following comments from a top Hamas leader suggesting a weapons freeze instead of total surrender.
Top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera that the group is open to freezing or storing weapons to prevent new escalation, but rejected demands for total disarmament under the plan pushed by President Donald Trump.
“The idea of total disarmament is unacceptable to the resistance (Hamas),” 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.”
'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, through spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian, reiterated that “Israel will continue to follow the 20-point plan. There will be no Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip. Hamas will be disarmed.” Bedrosian added, “The prime minister says this will happen the easy way or the hard way.”
- Three-phase agreement and international forces -
The peace plan is structured in three phases. The first phase involved Palestinian resistance groups releasing almost all remaining captives in Gaza, while 'Israel' freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and returned hundreds of bodies.
The second phase, expected to begin soon, would see 'Israeli' forces further withdraw from Gaza and be replaced by an international stabilisation force (ISF), while Hamas would lay down its weapons. Hamas has indicated it would not give up its arsenal but is open to international forces stationed along the Gaza-'Israel' border. Meshaal described any presence inside Gaza as an “occupation.”
Mediators, along with Arab and Islamic nations, are envisioned as “guarantors” to prevent escalation from Gaza. Meshaal expressed optimism that “with pragmatic American thinking... such a vision could be agreed upon with the US administration.” Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump on December 29 to discuss the next steps in the truce.
