Israel and Hamas are experiencing a first crisis in this initial stage of American President Donald Trump’s peace agreement, with the return of hostages killed during the war.
This Wednesday (15), the country denounced the sending of the remains of a Gaza resident by Hamas, while family members awaited confirmation that the bodies of their loved ones were returning home. The previous day, the Israeli government signaled that it could understand this delay in handing over the hostages as a violation of the signed agreement.
Even with the fragility of this first phase, which guaranteed the return of the 20 Israeli survivors held captive and a ceasefire, it should not be the most difficult stage of the entire process. Other points in Trump’s plan remain unanswered for now, such as the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and the establishment of an international force that will guarantee the security of the Palestinian enclave.
President Donald Trump reported this Tuesday (14) that the second phase of the peace plan has begun.
How will post-war Gaza governance and the establishment of an international force work?
These are two of the thorniest issues present in the new negotiations that have begun between mediators in the Middle East.
Trump’s plan envisages that the Gaza Strip will be governed post-war by a transitional government, composed of a technocratic Palestinian committee, without the participation of Hamas.
This committee would feature “qualified” Palestinian and international experts and would be overseen by a “new international transitional body” called the Peace Council, whose leader would be Trump. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also considered to play an important role in this process.
The American proposal also suggests creating an “International Stabilization Force (ISF)” to be sent to Gaza and training “approved Palestinian police forces” in Gaza. The establishment of this specialized force would give way to the presence of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the enclave. Israel has not yet agreed to these provisions.
Hamas, in turn, partially agreed with the idea, but many practical details of this process have not yet been defined.
Will Hamas accept disarmament?
The second phase of the peace agreement also provides for the disarmament of Hamas and amnesty for terrorists who comply with the order.
However, this issue remains a “red line” for the Palestinian group, given that one of Hamas’ founding principles is support for armed struggle. Hamas agreed more easily to leave power in Gaza than to lay down its weapons, something that Israel considers essential to agree to the complete exit from the enclave.
Since the ceasefire, several videos have circulated on social media showing armed Hamas militiamen in the streets clashing with other groups and clans that oppose their regime. This is an indication that the group will not accept abandoning its weapons.
This Tuesday, Trump warned Hamas that if the Palestinian extremist group does not hand over its weapons as stipulated in the peace plan for Gaza, it will be forced to hand them over “quickly” and “by force.”
Trump also stated that Hamas, “at the highest level,” guaranteed that it would fulfill its disarmament commitment.
“If they don’t give up their weapons, we will take them away. How do we do that? I don’t need to explain, but if they don’t accept disarmament, we will disarm them. They know I’m not kidding,” Trump told reporters during a meeting at the White House with Argentine President Javier Milei.
