Hamas considers a proposal to disarm in Gaza that's central to the
territory's future
[March 28, 2026]
By JOSEF FEDERMAN and SAMY MAGDY
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Hamas militant group is weighing a new proposal for
disarming its fighters in Gaza, a major concession that would clear the
way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for rebuilding the
war-ravaged territory.
How Hamas responds, expected in the coming days or weeks, has great
implications for Gaza’s 2 million people, who have been living in a grim
limbo since a ceasefire took effect nearly six months ago.
Hamas' founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and
it has been reluctant to give up an arsenal, including rockets,
anti-tank missiles and explosives, that lies at the heart of its
identity.
For that reason, it is far from certain the group will comply. Hamas has
indicated it is unhappy with a U.S.-backed proposal currently under
discussion. The U.S.-Israel war against Iran has further complicated the
Gaza efforts, threatening more delays as it draws the region's
attention.
In the meantime, key components of Trump’s plan — most critically,
reconstruction of the devastated territory — remain on hold.
“The future of Gaza … is entirely dependent now on Hamas decommissioning
its weapons,” Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,
told the Security Council this week. “We truly stand at an inflection
point now.”
Ceasefire plan is still in early stages
The Oct. 10 ceasefire aimed to halt more than two years of war and
launch a broader process to end Hamas’ two-decade rule and rebuild Gaza.
The ceasefire has halted the heaviest fighting and increased the flow of
badly needed humanitarian aid into Gaza, bringing some relief.
But Israeli strikes have killed nearly 700 Palestinians since the
ceasefire, according to local health officials, and Israel still
controls more than half of Gaza. Israel says its strikes are in response
to violations of the truce.
The longer-term aspects of the 20-point U.S. ceasefire plan still have
not been implemented.
They include the deployment of a U.N.-mandated international
peacekeeping force and a foreign-trained Palestinian police force, the
arrival of a recently appointed Palestinian technocratic committee to
run Gaza’s daily affairs, further Israeli troop withdrawals and a
years-long reconstruction plan.
Hamas’ disarmament is critical for all of these steps. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no progress without
disarmament, and many donor countries are reluctant to send cash or
troops for the Gaza plan if there is a risk of renewed warfare.
A disarmament proposal is on the table
Trump’s 20-point plan says that all of Hamas' "military, terror and
offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production
facilities” in Gaza must be destroyed. It also says that weapons must be
placed “permanently beyond use.”
Israel and the U.S. say this language is clear and that Hamas must
surrender all of its weapons.
Hamas has sought to differentiate between “heavy” weapons, such as
rockets, and “light” weapons like rifles and pistols, Hamas officials
and mediators say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the
negotiations.
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Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli military strike on a
target next to a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip,
Wednesday, March, 25, 2026.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
It also wants to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop
pullbacks.
Nickolay Mladenov, the director of the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, a
new body led by Trump that is overseeing the ceasefire, told the
U.N. Security Council this week that a proposal backed by mediator
countries Turkey, Qatar and Egypt has been presented to Hamas.
“Serious discussions are underway as we speak,” he said.
Mladenov said the proposal calls for the “complete decommissioning”
of all Hamas weapons and putting security in Gaza under the full
control of the new technocratic committee.
He said disarmament would begin with the “most dangerous weapons,”
including rockets, explosives and assault rifles and later move to
“personal weapons.”
The process would be accompanied by staged Israeli withdrawals.
Disarmament offers “the only way forward” for reconstruction and
success of the new Palestinian governing committee, Mladenov said.
“For the people of Gaza, the implications are profound."
Hamas response could mean more uncertainty for Palestinians
Hamas’ response has been cool.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, angrily accused Mladenov of
siding with Israel. In a post Thursday on X, he said the envoy “is
trying to be more royalist than the king himself, as he attempts to
tie everything to the weapons dossier.”
Other Hamas officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss
the negotiations, said they had accepted the new proposal “in
principle,” with reservations on some parts of the plan.
They said that the group’s response will include amendments that
address their concerns including the lack of “crucial” guarantees
that Israel will halt its attacks in Gaza and not resume the war.
It is unclear when Hamas will respond to the proposal.
The uncertainty signals that more delays, or worse, could lie ahead
for war-weary Gaza’s population.
Israel’s two-year offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7,
2023, attack on southern Israel, flattened large swaths of Gaza and
has displaced an estimated 90% of the population. Hundreds of
thousands of people are still living in tents, unable to rebuild
their homes or lives and heavily dependent on aid handouts.
If the negotiations drag on, that would mean delays in rebuilding
Gaza and an increased risk of resuming the war.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo.
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