Hamas distributing personal weapons to operatives to avoid total disarmament amid BoP deal - report

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsA Palestinian source said Hamas is distributing rifles to individuals under the guise of personal firearms, while insisting it will not disarm despite the Board of Peace agreement.Follow us on GoogleGunmen stand guard at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025.(photo credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)ByRUBY SADIKMANAUGUST 2, 2026 11:15Hamas began distributing individual weapons to the terrorist group’s operatives in the Gaza Strip amid the Board of Peace’s (BoP) Hamas disarmament deal, Kan News reported on Saturday, citing a Palestinian source.The goal of the rifle distribution is to ensure that weapons stay in the hands of Hamas members under the guise of personal ownership. “Hamas will not disarm. Period,” the Palestinian source asserted.However, the BoP has maintained that the terror organization is committed to honoring the disarmament deal, regardless of media statements made by Hamas officials to the contrary.Other sources have claimed that Hamas confirmed its participation in the agreement to other Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, along with the US. US President Donald Trump speaks during a charter announcement for his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, alongside the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (credit: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS)The BoP deal requires Hamas disarmament, IDF withdrawalIsrael has criticized the agreement, especially the finer details that US President Donald Trump said will be rolled out in phases.Though the deal requires IDF withdrawal from Gaza so the International Stabilization Force (ISF) can begin reconstructing in cooperation with new civil forces, Israel has said that it all hinges on disarming Hamas as a pre-condition.Under the 15-point document to be set in motion in the next few days, Hamas will need to halt all military activity in a two-week window. Only after that can disarmament begin, the BoP plan said.Concurrently, Israel will be held to the ceasefire guidelines agreed upon in October 2025.Follow us on Google