Trump’s Gaza plan stalls as Hamas resists disarmament
The militant group appears to be stalling as the mediators push it to accept a US-backed disarmament proposal.
You're reading an excerpt from Al-Monitor Washington, your guide to the latest in US-Middle East diplomacy. To read the full newsletter, sign up here.
WASHINGTON — Nearly four months after President Donald Trump unveiled his Board of Peace, governance and reconstruction plans for postwar Gaza are losing traction amid Hamas’ continued resistance to handing over its weapons.
The United States and the mediators are waiting on Hamas’ response to their latest proposal for its phased disarmament, sources familiar with the process said. Nickolay Mladenov, the Trump-led Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, acknowledged there was a holdup in securing Hamas’ agreement.
“The people of Gaza can no longer wait,” Mladenov said Wednesday at a Jerusalem press conference for foreign journalists. “You cannot build a future with armed groups running the streets, hiding in tunnels and stockpiling weapons.”
