Hamas would have to allow its vast network of tunnels in Gaza to be destroyed as it gives up its weapons over eight months, under a disarmament plan drawn up by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
The proposal, which has been presented to the Palestinian militant group, would see a committee of Palestinian technocrats take control of security in the Gaza Strip before Israeli troops withdraw completely, subject to “verification that Gaza is free of weaponry”.
Hamas’s disarmament remains a sticking point in Trump’s plan to cement an October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, which halted two years of full-blown war.
The Islamist group, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, has long rejected calls to lay down its arms, which are believed to be stored and transported through tunnels beneath the territory.
Israel has refused to withdraw from the coastal strip until Hamas disarms, citing security concerns.
The Board of Peace, which Trump set up in early 2026 to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, presented the plan to Hamas last week. The group has yet to comment on the proposal.
A Palestinian official close to the talks described the proposal as “unfair”, adding that Hamas would be expected to seek “amendments and improvements.”
The official said the plan did not provide guarantees that Israel would fulfil its obligations and warned it could risk a resumption of the war by linking reconstruction to disarmament.
Several other Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, issued statements echoing similar criticisms of the plan on Thursday (26 March).
The October 2025 ceasefire left Israel in control of well over half of the coastal strip, with Hamas retaining authority over the remainder of the territory.
Hamas is officially committed to armed resistance and Israel’s destruction. However, officials within the group have privately expressed openness to disarmament, provided it leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Board of Peace’s 12-point plan makes no mention of Palestinian statehood or independence.
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