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Hamas says disarmament hinges on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said on Friday that the implementation of the second phase of the Gaza peace deal is dependent on Israel’s full implementation of its first phase, including the withdrawal of its troops after the US president said his "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups.
The announcement followed months of faltering efforts to keep the ceasefire agreement reached last year in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on track and it was not immediately clear how strongly either Hamas or Israel stood behind it.
“The occupation’s commitment to halting the killing is the fundamental prerequisite for proceeding with implementing and establishing a timeline for what has been agreed upon,” Hamas said.
The group also named as necessary conditions the entry of an administrative committee – the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, – the deployment of an international stabilization force and the disbanding of Israeli-backed militias.
The issue of Hamas's disarmament has been one of the key sticking points in the advancement of the ceasefire deal that has been in place between Israel and the group in Gaza since October.
Despite the ceasefire, daily violence has continued in Gaza, with Israeli strikes targeting Palestinians.
"An agreement has been reached regarding the issue of weapons... Furthermore, an agreement has been reached on a gradual withdrawal of (Israeli forces)" from the strip, a Hamas official said.
The official added that the Islamist movement now expects the mediators and US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace to ensure that Israel complies with the terms of the deal.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of the group's negotiating team, said the movement was making "concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip, to save them from killing and displacement".
"The National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG) shall manage and execute the cataloguing and storage of weapons in accordance with the agreed timetable," the senior official said.
"The agreement contains a clear provision stating that Israel must commit to and implement its obligations. If Israel does not implement the agreement, neither will we," Hamad added.
Earlier this month, Hamas announced the dissolution of its body that governed Gaza for nearly two decades, clearing the way for the NCAG to implement civilian rule in the territory of more than two million people. The move marked a significant political shift by Hamas.
Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 after Hamas fighters launched attacks on the regime’s positions in the occupied territories.
Israel has killed at least 73,341 Palestinians and injured 174,086 others since the beginning of the genocide, destroying around 90 percent of the territory's civilian infrastructure.