Hamas moving toward Gaza disarmament deal: Sources

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.Palestinian Islamist 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 they were still in the process of making amendments to the proposal.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.Under U.S. 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 authorized 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 would create “a process for the elimination of all tunnels, depots of weapons and any weapons production facilities,” the source said.“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 Stabilization 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.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.__© Agence France-PresseSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads