Hamas is considering a proposal that would require disarming its fighters in Gaza, according to the Associated Press—an issue U.S. officials have linked directly to whether the enclave’s devastated infrastructure can be rebuilt.
The potential deal arrives after an Oct. 10 ceasefire halted the heaviest fighting and increased humanitarian aid flows, but it has not ended the conflict. The AP reported that Israeli strikes have killed nearly 700 Palestinians since the ceasefire, according to local health officials, and that Israel still controls more than half of Gaza. Israel says its strikes respond to violations of the truce, while the longer-term parts of a U.S. ceasefire framework—covering governance, security arrangements and reconstruction—have not yet been implemented.
U.S. officials have tied the path forward to Hamas disarming. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council that “The future of Gaza … is entirely dependent now on Hamas decommissioning its weapons,” and said the sides “truly stand at an inflection point now.”
The AP said Hamas’ willingness to accept disarmament is uncertain. Hamas’ founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and the group has been reluctant to give up an arsenal—described by the AP as including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives—that it has treated as central to its identity. The group has also signaled dissatisfaction with the U.S.-backed proposal currently under discussion, and the AP reported that the U.S.-Israel war against Iran has added complications and threatened further delays.
The disarmament plan is described as part of a wider U.S. 20-point approach. The AP said the plan states that Hamas’ “military, terror and offensive infrastructure, including tunnels and weapon production facilities” in Gaza must be destroyed, and that weapons must be placed “permanently beyond use.” Israel and the U.S. have said the language is clear and requires Hamas to surrender all weapons.
According to Nickolay Mladenov, the director of the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, a proposal backed by mediator countries Turkey, Qatar and Egypt was presented to Hamas at the U.N. Security Council this week. Mladenov told the Security Council that “Serious discussions are underway as we speak,” and said the proposal includes the “complete decommissioning” of Hamas weapons, paired with security in Gaza under the full control of a newly appointed technocratic committee. He described disarmament as beginning with the “most dangerous weapons,” including rockets, explosives and assault rifles, before moving to “personal weapons,” and said the process would run alongside staged Israeli withdrawals.
AP reporting also indicated that Hamas’ internal approach could differ from the proposal’s wording. Hamas officials and mediators speaking on condition of anonymity told the AP that the group is seeking to differentiate between “heavy” weapons such as rockets and “light” weapons like rifles and pistols. They also said Hamas wants any demilitarization linked to Israeli troop pullbacks.
Hamas’ response, the AP said, has been cool. The AP reported that Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, accused Mladenov on X of taking Israel’s side. In a post Thursday, Naim said the envoy “is trying to be more royalist than the king himself, as he attempts to tie everything to the weapons dossier.” Other Hamas officials speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations said they accepted the new proposal “in principle,” but with reservations. They told the AP that amendments would address concerns, including the lack of “crucial” guarantees that Israel will halt attacks in Gaza and not resume the war.
With Hamas weighing the proposal and its response not yet clear, the AP said the uncertainty could mean additional delays for war-weary residents. It reported that Israel’s two-year offensive, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, flattened large swaths of Gaza and displaced an estimated 90% of the population. The AP added that hundreds of thousands of people remain in tents, unable to rebuild and heavily dependent on aid.
If negotiations drag on, the AP said it would likely postpone rebuilding and increase the risk of renewed fighting, at a time when the longer-term elements of the 20-point ceasefire plan—including peacekeeping, security forces, governance arrangements and reconstruction—remain on hold.