Hamas Concession? New Proposal Seeks to Break Deadlock in Ceasefire Talks
The Palestinians reached an agreement this morning, Thursday, with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey on a revised version of the roadmap for a ceasefire agreement, in an effort to break the deadlock in the talks. This was reported by the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
At the center of the proposal is the most explosive issue in the negotiations, the matter of Hamas weapons and those of the other factions in the Gaza Strip. Under the new wording, this is not an immediate disarmament or surrender of weapons, but rather a "gradual and phased implementation of a process of collecting and storing the weapons according to a defined timetable."
According to the proposal, the process would take place alongside Israel's withdrawal from the areas it controls in the Strip and the completion of the first stage of the ceasefire agreement. This is a clear Palestinian attempt to change the framework of the discussion around weapons, not a "handing over" of arms, but "collecting and storing" them within an internal Palestinian framework.
The process would be managed by the Palestinian National Committee, with the assistance of international forces and in cooperation with the Palestinian organizations. According to the proposal, a special verification committee would oversee the move and ensure that no weapons are transferred to Israel or to any non-Palestinian party. It was also written that the plan would be carried out "within the framework of Trump's plan and in accordance with the relevant international decisions and laws."
The gaps between the sides remain deep. While Israel demands that the terrorist organizations be disarmed as a central condition for continuing the agreement, the Palestinians condition any progress on full implementation of the first stage, which includes the IDF withdrawal and expanding the entry of aid into the Strip.
According to sources in Hamas and other factions that participated in the talks in Cairo, the mediators asked the Palestinian delegation to remain in Egypt and wait for a response. The ball is now in Israel's and the United States' court, and in Cairo they assess that the weapons clauses, guarantees and implementation mechanisms are expected to be at the center of the dispute.
