After months of extensive negotiations, Hamas has accepted a framework proposed by the Board of Peace to completely disarm in Gaza. The plan involves inventorying and storing Hamas's remaining heavy weapons under Palestinian oversight rather than handing them over to Israel. This development follows recent leadership elections that installed Gaza-based Khalil al-Hayya as the head of Hamas.

Palestinian officials involved in the talks view this as a significant political decision motivated by the severe humanitarian crisis affecting over two million Palestinians in Gaza. A senior Hamas official and member of the negotiating team described the talks as "long and extremely difficult," emphasizing Hamas's insistence on maintaining control over the weapons inventory.

While it is too early to determine if the agreement will be fully implemented or honored by all parties, if successful, it could represent the first credible step toward ending a nearly three-year-long conflict and pave the way for a broader political process.

However, the announcement has been met with little enthusiasm among Palestinians in Gaza. Years of failed ceasefires and collapsed agreements have left many deeply skeptical of new political breakthroughs, with low confidence in both Hamas and Israel due to previous agreements failing to deliver meaningful improvements on the ground.

Sources