A Direct US Pledge to Hamas.
Sources told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that the US administration conveyed a pledge to Hamas, in a phone call with a mediator attended by a delegation from the movement, guaranteeing commitment to the principle of reciprocity in implementing the Gaza peace deal, and pledging not to allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to obstruct its path. The sources said Washington affirmed it would hold Israel to its obligations under the agreement, including troop withdrawal and completing its commitments, while acknowledging that implementation would not be easy and could face difficulties ahead. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner reportedly affirmed that Washington would not abandon the deal and would act as its guarantor.
Hamas Sets Its Own Conditions First.
The US pledge came after Hamas said on Friday that the first step in implementing the Gaza disarmament deal announced by President Trump must be an Israeli commitment to stop killing Palestinians and end its attacks. The movement said the handover of heavy weapons is also conditional on Israel ending combat operations and withdrawing from Gaza, stating in an official release that its agreement to include the heavy weapons file was tied to a full halt of all forms of aggression, a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, early recovery efforts, the entry of the administrative committee, and the deployment of international protection forces. A Hamas official and a regional official said the movement had agreed to the roadmap on condition that Israel also make concessions, including ending hostilities and withdrawing its forces from Palestinian territory.
Nine Months After the Ceasefire, Disarmament Remains the Sticking Point.
Israel has not yet responded to the deal Trump announced hours earlier and described as “historic.” However, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir rejected the roadmap published by the Board of Peace, calling it unacceptable for Israel. The announcement comes nine months after the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that halted fighting between Israel and Hamas. That 20-point plan calls for Hamas to give up its weapons and destroy its extensive tunnel network, alongside an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, the arrival of a new Palestinian technocratic government, the deployment of a security force known as the International Stabilization Force, and the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas over implementing the ceasefire’s next phase had largely reached a deadlock, with the disarmament issue standing as the main point of contention.
