The Axios website quoted US officials as saying that the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has secretly expressed its readiness to accept the US disarmament plan and to begin handing over its weapons with the start of implementing the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
The American outlet added, citing the same sources, that the disarmament plan of the administration of US President Donald Trump for the Gaza Strip will be carried out in stages and gradually, and that Hamas has declared it will disarm.
Axios explained that the first phase of Hamas’s disarmament involves the destruction of what it described as “terror infrastructure,” such as tunnels and weapons factories, as well as the removal of heavy weapons and rockets and placing them “in a location where they cannot be used to launch attacks on Israel.”
In the same phase, the site added, a police force will be established in the Gaza Strip operating under the authority of a technocratic government. This force will be tasked with maintaining security and order and will have exclusive authority to possess weapons.
US officials said during a press briefing that the plan to disarm Hamas is achievable and confirmed that President Trump wants to see it implemented.
Positive Signals
Axios quoted a US official as saying that Hamas is sending positive signals regarding disarmament, expressing hope that this position is genuine and not merely a claim.
According to the American website, the importance of this step lies in the fact that transforming the Gaza truce into lasting peace depends on Hamas relinquishing its weapons and on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip.
On the Israeli side, Axios noted that Israel reluctantly agreed to move to the “second phase” of the Gaza agreement, citing the failure to return the remains of one deceased captive under the terms of the “first phase” of the deal.
The site explained that the Trump administration and other mediators involved in the file, namely Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar, appear optimistic. It quoted a US official as saying, “We have put forward a disarmament plan. The president wants to see it happen. Hamas is indicating that it will happen. We believe it can be achieved.”
The US official also said that “the mission is not complete” until the remains of the last captive are found, but that this is not a justification for failing to move forward with the peace agreement reached in October last year.
Separately, Axios revealed that the United States wants to discuss with Israel the possibility of “amnesty programmes” for Hamas members who wish to hand over their personal weapons and abandon military activity.
The site reported that several Hamas leaders have publicly expressed readiness to hand over the movement’s heavy weapons either to an Arab force or to the Palestinian government for storage.
It added that the United States and other mediators have been in contact with Hamas in recent weeks regarding disarmament, and that talks on this issue will continue in the coming weeks with the start of implementing the second phase of the Gaza agreement.
A Role for Turkey
Within the broader context, Axios indicated that peace in Gaza and the new security environment in the Strip include the deployment of an international stabilisation force approved by the United Nations Security Council.
US officials said that several countries, including Turkey, have expressed interest in participating in the international stabilisation force, expressing hope that this could be announced within two weeks.
They added that the Trump administration wants Turkey to have a role in Gaza in the future and is seeking to rebuild relations between Turkey and Israel, which have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war on Gaza.
The announcement of Hamas’s readiness to relinquish its weapons comes one day after the main declaration of the second phase of the Gaza agreement, which involves the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to oversee the administration of Gaza. The committee will be headed by Ali Shaath, the former deputy minister of transport in the Palestinian Authority.
A US official said that all members of the committee are from Gaza, that their security backgrounds were vetted by the United States, Israel, and Egypt, and that they were approved by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and other Palestinian factions.
