All articles tagged with #disarmament
White House envoy Jared Kushner and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to form two working groups on Gaza disarmament and public health, signaling progress toward a US-backed roadmap, but a fundamental split remains over what disarmament means: Israel seeks broad demilitarization while Hamas envisions a narrower approach, complicating any Israeli withdrawal tied to disarmament.
Jared Kushner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pursue small, verifiable steps in Gaza to test Hamas's commitment to disarmament, during a four-hour meeting that reviewed a U.S.-backed Board of Peace plan involving Hamas handing over weapons to a technocratic government to be destroyed by an international force, a deconfliction mechanism, and two working groups on demilitarization and humanitarian relief; Netanyahu remains skeptical amid the October elections, with mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey involved to keep progress incremental.
Kushner and Netanyahu agreed that a U.S. general should supervise Hamas’s demilitarization starting with a weapons handover, establish two working groups on disarmament and on sanitation/public health, and ensure Gaza reconstruction won’t begin until Hamas is disarmed.
US-brokered talks in Rome floated Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential contributors to a mechanism that would verify Hezbollah’s disarmament in southern Lebanon, with foreign personnel possibly defining the framework and observing inspections, including potential private-home checks; the plan remains in early discussions with cautious optimism and questions over scope, movement rights, and Lebanese consent.
Negotiators in Rome say Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia are potential participants in an international monitoring mechanism to verify Hezbollah's disarmament in southern Lebanon, linked to a June framework tying Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's demilitarization. The states could help set the monitoring scope, provide staff, or deploy troops for inspections; final participation rests with Washington. The talks also cover expanding pilot zones and third-party oversight, alongside reconstruction aid, noting Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and remains unwilling to disarm.
A BBC Global Story examines whether Hamas will disarm after a touted peace plan. Hamas says disarmament hinges on Israel withdrawing from Gaza, while Israeli officials demand weapons be handed over first; Prime Minister Netanyahu states no agreement has been reached, leaving the next steps uncertain as BBC correspondents analyze possible paths forward.
The US-led Board of Peace said any Israeli withdrawal from Gaza will occur only after Hamas fully decommissions weapons and tunnels, tying pullout to the disarmament deal mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye. In West Jerusalem, Netanyahu met with Board director Nickolay Mladenov amid Israeli opposition from hardliners, while Hamas insisted the plan won’t take effect until Israel’s commitments are met. Mediators condemned recent Israeli strikes, underscoring a fragile path toward a Gaza ceasefire ahead of elections.
At least 13 people, including children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah during the second night of fighting, as Hamas said it accepted a disarmament plan tied to a US-brokered ceasefire. The IDF says it is targeting militants, with casualties reported on both sides and ongoing debate over the disarmament roadmap and Gaza’s future reconstruction.
Trump promotes a 15-point plan to disarm Hamas and withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza, but Israel demands complete Hamas disarmament before withdrawal while Hamas pushes for a halt to hostilities first; the plan gives a 14-day window to agree on the timetable and implementation, yet analysts warn the sequencing gap, political considerations in Israel, and electoral timing could hinder any quick path to a deal.
Hamas says it has agreed to a phased disarmament deal tied to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, brokered by the US Board of Peace and backed by a plan for a technocratic Palestinian government and an international stabilization force; however, timing and verification are uncertain, with Israel’s far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir opposing the terms and critics warning the pact may not hold.
A US-led Board of Peace and mediators say Hamas would disarm in phased steps, with a 14-day weapons inventory, international verification, and the transfer of weapons to a Palestinian National Committee overseen by an International Stabilization Force, as Israeli forces gradually withdraw. A technocratic Palestinian administration would run Gaza under the Board, while a new Gaza police force would be trained. Israel has yet to publicly accept the plan, and skeptics warn that verification, potential spoilers, and broader adherence by other armed groups are major open questions. The process could take several months (roughly 200–300 days for demilitarization) once formal acceptance is secured.
Hamas asserts that true disarmament in Gaza would only occur if Israel ends attacks, increases aid, and abides by the ceasefire terms, even as Trump promotes a U.S.-led plan to disarm Hamas and other groups with a multinational stabilization force, with Israel yet to comment.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions reportedly approved a phased Gaza disarmament roadmap, with police weapons handed over first and heavy arms decommissioned under international verification by a National Committee; the plan links disarmament to Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction progress, and the formation of a new Palestinian government under the Board of Peace, with mediation by Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye. The deal has been framed by Trump as a monumental step toward peace, though some groups voiced reservations while fighting and other tensions persist.
The White House and regional mediators say Hamas could sign a deal in the coming days to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, allowing a technocratic government to take over and kick-start reconstruction in a phased six-to-eight month process. The plan centers on decommissioning weapons, verification, a new police force vetted by Israel, an international stabilization presence, and an Israeli withdrawal to the Yellow Line, with Hamas handing over arms facilities and maps. Hamas has not yet approved the agreement, and Israel remains skeptical despite heavy pressure from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey; Iran is urging Hamas to delay. Talks are ongoing in El-Alamein, Egypt, led by key figures including Egyptian intelligence and overseen by the U.S.-led Board of Peace, with hopes tied to Trump’s Gaza peace framework.
Trump’s Board of Peace has pared back its Gaza recovery plan from a full reconstruction to a modest Rafah pilot camp, with a planned 5,000-strong International Stabilization Force and a vetted Palestinian police. However, no camp or ISF base has been built, training hasn’t begun, and progress depends on Israeli politics and donor funds, raising concerns that the effort could become a propaganda tool or a fragmented relief regime rather than a path to a lasting solution, with officials signalling a late-2026 rollout at best.