Hamas Says It Will Disarm If Israel Halts Strikes And Withdraws From Gaza, But Obstacles Remain

CAIRO — Hamas said Friday that it will statesman disarming arsenic portion of a woody announced by President Trump that besides requires Israel to extremity its strikes and retreat from Gaza. It marks a imaginable breakthrough successful ending nan war, but implementation faces awesome challenges.

Hamas besides said that laying down its dense weapons, which would travel later successful nan process, was contingent connected nan creation of a Palestinian state, thing Israel’s existent authorities adamantly rejects.

Israel has not officially commented connected nan deal, which is portion of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced past October. That statement called for Hamas to disarm and manus complete powerfulness to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw, and an International Stabilization Force was to deploy.

But advancement stalled, pinch Israel saying everything hinged connected Hamas disarming, and Hamas accusing Israel of violating nan statement by continuing to transportation retired regular strikes connected Gaza.

Disarming would correspond a oversea alteration for Hamas, whose founding charter calls for equipped guidance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, arsenic lying astatine nan bosom of its identity.

Israel meantime appears improbable to propulsion backmost important forces aliases make different concessions up of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a reliable reelection battle, pinch opponents accusing him of failing to forestall nan Oct. 7, 2023, onslaught that triggered nan war.

The woody is group to beryllium implemented successful stages

In announcing nan latest woody connected societal media, Trump said it would beryllium carried retired successful “carefully system phases.”

“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and nan International Stabilization Force will activity pinch a caller Palestinian constabulary unit to return work for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors,” he wrote.

A transcript of nan statement obtained and verified by nan Associated Press said that each weapons held by nan Hamas-run constabulary will beryllium transferred to nan U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known arsenic nan National Committee for nan Administration of Gaza, upon its presence successful nan enclave. It’s not clear erstwhile that would hap since it is contingent connected different steps.

A process to decommission and shop dense weapons, subject accumulation sites and tunnels will statesman aft nan presence of nan Palestinian committee and nan deployment of world forces. The process will beryllium linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal from nan parts of Gaza it controls, according to nan agreement.

Israel presently controls astir 60% of Gaza, areas that person been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of nan territory’s 2 cardinal Palestinians are successful nan different part, wherever hundreds of thousands unrecorded successful squalid shelter camps and destroyed neighborhoods.

In a connection Thursday, an Israeli charismatic said that location will beryllium nary Israeli withdrawal earlier nan militant group is disarmed and nan portion demilitarized. The connection was made connected information of anonymity successful statement pinch authorities protocol.

A personification pinch knowledge of nan business said that Israel is afloat involved, but it’s not a signatory to nan deal, which is betwixt Hamas and respective countries helping to discuss and guarantee nan ceasefire. The personification said connected information of anonymity successful bid to talk nan agreement. The deal’s guarantors are nan U.S., Turkey, Egypt and Qatar.

It could return years for Hamas to disarm

On Thursday, U.S. and Board of Peace officials, describing nan woody to reporters connected information of anonymity nether guidelines group by nan White House, gave an highly optimistic assessment. The committee was established by Trump to oversee nan ceasefire successful Gaza.

While Gaza’s constabulary unit is expected to manus complete its arms, that doesn’t see nan immense mostly of Hamas militants, and dense weaponry is not included successful that portion of nan agreement, according to nan officials.

Instead, nan surrender of dense weapons and nan decommissioning of Hamas tunnels and different infrastructure are to travel later successful a process that could return betwixt 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace charismatic said. That timeline did not look successful nan statement obtained by AP.

The Hamas charismatic and nan location charismatic progressive successful nan process said that Hamas and different groups agreed to “collect and store” arms wrong Gaza nether nan supervision of nan Palestinian technocratic committee and that weapons won’t beryllium handed to Israel aliases non-Palestinian parties.

The officials, who said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to little nan media, said this would beryllium a gradual process linked to an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel has been profoundly skeptical

A U.S. charismatic said Israel, which has been profoundly skeptical astir Hamas’ willingness to springiness up its guns aliases relinquish power of Gaza, had been consulted astatine each measurement of nan negotiation.

However, nan charismatic said Israel was not being asked to do thing much than what it had initially committed to erstwhile it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which fundamentally involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and committing to ending airstrikes connected nan territory.

A personnel of nan Palestinian technocratic committee told nan AP connected Friday that it was eager to participate Gaza but was concerned Israel will airs challenges. The personification said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to nan media. The personification said they didn’t expect to participate Gaza for astatine slightest 2 months.

The committee welcomed nan advancement Friday, but said nan activity to reconstruct nationalist institutions and services and rebuild nan territory would beryllium immense.

The warfare successful Gaza began aft a Hamas-led onslaught connected confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, killed astir 1,200 group and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory violative successful Gaza has killed much than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since nan ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry, which is portion of nan Hamas-led authorities and is staffed by aesculapian professionals, does not separate betwixt civilians and militants successful its toll but says women and children dress up astir half of each deaths.

Magdy, Mednick, Cooper and Lee constitute for nan Associated Press. Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Cooper from Phoenix, and Lee from Washington. AP writers Farnoush Amiri successful New York and Edith M. Lederer astatine nan United Nations contributed to this report.