Israel Demands Hamas Disarmament Before Gaza Ceasefire as Peace Plan Stalls
Israeli officials insist military operations will continue until Hamas disarms, while the group says weapons handover depends on a full Israeli withdrawal, leaving a US-backed roadmap in limbo.
Israel has linked any halt to military operations in Gaza to the complete disarmament of Hamas, according to Israeli security sources. A source cited by Channel 12 said military policy “has not changed” and that attacks would not stop unless Hamas disarms. Energy Minister Eli Cohen, a member of the security cabinet, stated that “stopping operations in Gaza is not on the table” and that Israeli control must continue. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that withdrawal from current military positions would occur only after “real disarmament” of the group. Israel has also conveyed objections to the Board of Peace plan, including that collected weapons would not be destroyed and that Qatar and Turkey would participate in verification, the daily Haaretz reported.
Hamas political bureau member Ghazi Hamad said the group had agreed to store its weapons with the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a technocratic body, and that the issue was “a Palestinian matter” in which Israel would have no role. He stressed that implementation depended on Israel meeting its commitments, including withdrawal. However, a Palestinian source told the Israeli public broadcaster Kan News that “Hamas will not disarm. Period,” and that the group had begun distributing individual rifles to operatives to retain them under personal ownership. A figure affiliated with Israeli-backed militias in Gaza told the Jerusalem Post that Hamas’s acceptance was “empty talk” and that the group could not afford to disarm because it would risk its existence and expose its members to revenge from those it had oppressed.
The 15-point roadmap announced by US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace requires Hamas to halt all military activity within two weeks, after which disarmament would begin and Israel would adhere to ceasefire guidelines agreed in October 2025. Heavy weapons, tunnels and warehouses would be collected and stored by the national committee, while individual arms would be regulated under Palestinian law. The plan also calls for the dissolution of Israeli-backed armed groups in Gaza. The Board of Peace has maintained that Hamas is committed to the deal, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has reportedly agreed to it, according to the Saudi-owned Al-Hadath channel.
Israel has made its withdrawal conditional on verifiable disarmament, and an editorial in the Jerusalem Post argued that the country “cannot agree to a process in which withdrawal, reconstruction, or political recognition move forward on the assumption that Hamas will disarm later.” The plan is expected to be set in motion in the coming days, but the sequencing of disarmament and withdrawal remains the central obstacle, with Israel demanding physical collection and destruction of weapons before any pullback and Hamas insisting on a full Israeli withdrawal first.
| Israeli press | −0.60 | critical |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic / Anglosphere press | 0.00 | neutral |
| Arab Levant-Maghreb press | −0.20 | neutral |
| Iranian & allied press | −0.80 | critical |
Israel demands that Hamas lay down its arms before any withdrawal, and considers any plan that does not follow this order as an existential threat.
The mechanism presents the disarmament precondition as the only security guarantee, turning the negotiation into a test of obedience.
The possibility that Hamas might hand over weapons to a transitional body, as reported by other sources, is left out to strengthen the narrative of Hamas's irreducibility.
The narrative presents two opposing perspectives without taking sides, leaving open the possibility that Hamas might still hand over weapons to a civilian body.
The mechanism is journalistic neutrality: reporting statements from opposing sources without filtering them through explicit judgment.
The context of Israeli security criticisms and the urgency of the plan, which appear in Israeli press, is omitted to maintain balance.
The agreement remains a test as Israel links cease-fire to disarmament while Hamas ties disarmament to withdrawal. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continue, causing Palestinian casualties, and mutual accusations impede progress.
Iran denounces the plan as a conspiracy to eliminate Palestinian resistance and strengthen Israeli control, urging Hamas not to trust it.
The mechanism is conspiracy accusation: interpreting the moves of Israel and the US as part of a hostile design, creating a frame of total suspicion.
The fact that some Palestinian groups, such as Islamic Jihad, have accepted disarmament is omitted, which would weaken the thesis of a unanimous conspiracy.
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