In an unusual development in recent days, officials in the Peace Board said Hamas has, for the first time, agreed in principle to give up its weapons, according to Ynet. But they immediately cautioned that the group is already trying to attach conditions and soften the meaning of the commitment, saying, “They agreed to it, but as usual they are trying to set conditions and first demand Israeli withdrawals.”
The Peace Board said its plan, presented by director general Nikolai Mladenov at the UN, calls for Hamas to be fully disarmed and for its weapons to be transferred to a technocratic committee, alongside the international stabilization force known as ISF. The board stressed that this is not a handover of weapons to Israel, but to a Palestinian body backed by international support.
After Hamas met with mediators in Cairo, messages were relayed to Mladenov that the organization was willing to discuss collecting weapons and taking them out of use. Still, the board believes Hamas is trying to leave itself an escape hatch. Its concern is that Hamas speaks about surrendering arms without committing to give up all of its weapons, while also pushing alternatives such as concentrating arms in storage sites instead of physically handing them over.
During the talks, Hamas attacked the plan’s author and referred to “the evil Mladenov” as trying to take away its last bullet, while arguing that families cannot be left without weapons for self-defense. The Peace Board and the mediators say there will be no compromise on this point. The demand remains full disarmament of Hamas, with no exceptions and no creative formulas that would preserve its military capabilities. Mladenov has agreed to some wording changes, but people familiar with the talks say the red lines remain unchanged, and the parties are now waiting for Hamas’s response.
