Hamas accepts Gaza disarmament framework
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- Hamas accepted a framework of the Board of Peace's plan to completely disarm in Gaza — the first such agreement after months of talks, potentially clearing a major obstacle to the Trump-backed peace initiative.
- The plan calls for inventorying and storage of remaining heavy weapons under Palestinian supervision, not handover to Israel — a key concession Hamas insisted on during negotiations.
- Khalil al-Hayya, the Gaza-based Hamas leader, was recently elected to head the movement, with Palestinian officials saying the new leadership drove what they called the most consequential political decision in Hamas's history.
- A senior Hamas negotiator told the BBC the talks were "long and extremely difficult," with the movement pushing to keep Palestinian oversight rather than Israeli control of weapons.
- The article notes it remains too early to judge whether the agreement will be fully implemented, and the war has lasted nearly three years.
- In Gaza, the announcement was met with little public enthusiasm, with residents expressing skepticism after years of failed ceasefires and collapsed agreements.
Why it matters: The Palestinian-oversight clause is what distinguishes this deal from past failed agreements — Hamas refused to hand weapons to Israel. If implementation holds, it would end a war devastating more than two million Palestinians for nearly three years; but Gaza residents' deep skepticism after repeated broken ceasefires leaves the deal's durability an open question.
