Peace Council Unveils Ambitious Gaza Plan to Weaken Hamas Control

The Peace Council released a detailed plan on August 1, 2026, aimed at advancing the peace process in the Gaza Strip, with Hamas expressing cautious agreement. A senior Peace Council official told N12 that Hamas has no way out of the agreement, having publicly consented, though the challenging implementation phase is imminent. The plan does not impose new commitments on Israel but clarifies the sequence of steps that will require Israel to cease military operations and withdraw gradually, contingent on Hamas taking significant initial actions.

According to the official, Israel’s military withdrawal will only occur after Hamas undertakes a series of substantial measures that transform Gaza’s current situation. These include halting military activities such as recruitment and rearmament, which will be monitored by an international oversight committee. Only after this verification will Israel be obligated to stop its military actions. The evaluation process is expected to be completed swiftly.

The plan stipulates that Hamas’s heavy weapons will be stored within Gaza under the supervision of a technocrats’ committee and an international stabilization force, rather than full disarmament. Light weapons will be regulated under Palestinian law but remain under the committee’s control. The disarmament process is anticipated to take between 200 and 350 days.

In parallel, a pilot program is underway to relocate tens of thousands of Gazans to areas outside Hamas’s control, offering improved humanitarian conditions by the upcoming winter. The official indicated that Israel might be asked to withdraw to the "yellow line," the territory held before recent hostilities, as areas become free of weapons and terror infrastructure.

The plan also includes establishing a new Palestinian policing force, which will undergo rigorous vetting and training, with Morocco playing a key role in training the force in Egypt. However, this force is not yet ready to assume active security duties in Gaza.