Hamas agrees to disarm – media

The Palestinian militants have reportedly struck a deal with the US

Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to surrender its arms in exchange for free passage out of Gaza for its leaders and a transition to solely political activity, Sky News Arabia has reported.

Citing an anonymous Palestinian source, the outlet claimed on Thursday that Hamas had already handed over some weapons and maps of its underground tunnel network to the US, via “a mechanism that has not yet been revealed.” 

In exchange, the US has offered assurances that Hamas will be allowed to remain involved in politics in Gaza, and that some of its bureaucrats and police officers will be allowed to work for a new administration, provided they pass an “Israeli-American security check.” 

Hamas’ leaders will be allowed to leave Gaza, the source claimed, with the US assuring them that Israel will not target them abroad in future.

Neither Hamas nor the US has commented on the report. Israel has not responded either, but the source said that “Israel has significant reservations about a number of these understandings,” particularly the clause that allows Hamas to remain politically active in Gaza. Throughout Israel’s two-year war on the enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to “completely destroy” Hamas.

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The report was published hours before US President Donald Trump signed his ‘Board of Peace’ into existence. Originally planned as a small group of technocrats – mostly from Gulf Arab countries – to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and governance, the board has grown into a sprawling international organization headed by ‘Chairman Trump’, as he is described in the board’s charter.

Three-year memberships have been offered to 60 countries, with Trump selling permanent membership for $1 billion per country. Russian President Vladimir Putin received an invitation, and has offered to donate $1 billion from Russian assets frozen in the US whether or not he joins the board. Some 22 countries have joined the board to date.

The word ‘Gaza’ does not appear once in the board’s charter, and critics have accused the US president of attempting to build a rival to the United Nations.

Trump announced the start of Phase Two of his 20-point plan to settle the conflict in Gaza last week. This phase envisions Hamas disarming and handing control of Gaza over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a group of 15 Palestinian technocrats. NCAG held its inaugural meeting in Cairo last Thursday.

Although Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce in the intervening months. More than 450 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire took effect.