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Hamas moving towards Gaza disarmament deal, say sources
The thorny issue of Hamas's disarmament has been one of the key sticking points in the ceasefire deal that has been in place between Israel and the group
- PUBLISHED: Thu 30 Jul 2026, 9:59 PM
- By:
- AFP
Palestinian movement Hamas is progressing towards a deal involving the decommissioning of its weapons, sources familiar with the ongoing talks with mediators in Cairo told AFP on Thursday.
A Hamas source added, however, that the group was still in the process of making amendments to the proposal.
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The thorny issue of Hamas's disarmament has been one of the key sticking points in the advancement of the ceasefire deal that has been in place between Israel and the group in Gaza since October.
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Under US President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza, the second phase of the ceasefire was to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
The plan also provides for a group of Palestinian technocrats, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to assume day-to-day governance during Gaza's transitional phase out of war.
"We continue to advance the implementation roadmap that offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities taking place to hand over full authority to the technocratic government," a diplomatic source told AFP.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said there would be "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people. One authority, one law, one weapon".
The roadmap, the source said, would create "a process for the elimination of all tunnels, depots of weapons and any weapons production facilities".
"All weapons, heavy and light, will be under full control of the NCAG in coordination with and with the support of the ISF," the source added, referring to the International Stabilisation Force, a fledgling body envisaged to comprise multinational troops operating under Trump's Board of Peace.
The source said a verification mechanism would ensure compliance by each side.
A Hamas source familiar with the talks told AFP that the movement is "awaiting the Israeli response to the amendments we recently submitted to the mediators".
The source said the amendments concerned two articles in the roadmap presented by the Board of Peace.
Regarding the article concerning weapons, the Hamas source said that "some points were removed, and alternatives were proposed".
"There is broad understanding on the definition of heavy weapons, and a formula has been developed that emphasises the concept of restricting and storing heavy weapons, disbanding armed groups and a simultaneous Israeli withdrawal," the Hamas source added.
An Israeli political source told AFP that the proposed deal does not "satisfactorily" address Israeli demands.
"Israel demands the complete disarmament of Hamas, including the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarization of the Strip as a precondition for any process," the source said, adding that the army will not carry out any partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip "before Hamas is disarmed and the Strip is demilitarized."
The source also said that "the issue of Gaza did not come up at all" in the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington this week.
Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued in Gaza, with Israeli strikes killing at least four people including two children on Thursday, according to health officials.