Bahbah, an American of Palestinian origin who previously mediated negotiations that led to the release of a US-Israeli national earlier this year, said this in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
He said US officials told him that Washington is open to an arrangement under which Hamas would surrender only its heavy weaponry.
“I discussed this matter with American officials,” he stated. “They told me disarmament could mean Hamas handing over its heavy weapons while retaining small arms for self-defence. The Hamas officials I spoke to showed openness and a willingness to consider this approach.”
He added that Hamas had pledged not to develop or smuggle weapons into Gaza. “These are two significant points,” he said.
“However, Israel insists that disarmament must include the destruction of tunnels in the Gaza Strip. That could take years and delay reconstruction, since there are 350 kilometres of tunnels under Gaza. Israel claims to have destroyed 60 percent of them, but no one knows for sure — not even Hamas,” he added.
On possible implementation, Bahbah said, “Disarmament is a central demand of both Israel and Washington. US officials suggested to me that heavy weapons could be handed over to Egypt or to a joint Egyptian-Palestinian entity.”
He noted that Hamas linked any handover of weapons to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“We all want this state; it already exists on the ground and is recognized by 159 countries,” he said. “But recognition by Israel and the United States is what truly matters. It may take time to reach that point, yet it remains a noble goal that serves the interests of the Palestinian people.”
Bahbah added that Hamas’ non-personal weapons “do not even amount to one percent of what Israel possesses." "So, what is the purpose of Hamas’ arms? Can they end Israel? The answer is: they cannot.”
He argued that Israel bears “larger responsibilities” than focusing on disarmament. “It must accept the deployment of international forces in Gaza, allow adequate humanitarian aid, reopen crossings, and enable reconstruction. Delivering aid and rebuilding Gaza are far more important than Hamas’ weapons,” he said.
Delay of second phase
Close to both White House circles and Hamas leaders, Bahbah said Washington “will not allow the US-brokered ceasefire agreement in Gaza, reached last month, to collapse.”
He stressed that “the displacement of Palestinians is not currently on the table,” accusing Israel of “deliberately delaying implementation of the deal and the start of its second phase.”
Under the first phase, Hamas handed over 20 captives alive to Israel in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The deal also included the return of the remains of 17 captives. There are still 11 bodies that Hamas has not yet located due to logistical reasons.
Bahbah accused Israel of “intentionally stalling the second phase, using the bodies issue as a pretext to block aid, tents, and medical supplies ahead of the harsh winter, and to delay the reopening of the Rafah crossing.”
He insisted that “Washington will not allow the agreement to fail, no matter how much Israel tries to convince it otherwise.”
Regarding the missing remains, Bahbah said, “It was clear before the deal that Hamas would not be able to locate all the bodies immediately.”
He accused Israel of obstructing solutions, including rejecting the entry of a Turkish search team. Other challenges, he said, include “bodies trapped under collapsed buildings or in areas filled with explosives where the Red Cross has been denied access.”
Disputes over Gaza stabilization forces
Bahbah said ongoing discussions on the proposed Gaza Stabilization Forces face four main disputes. “Talks over the past two weeks have focused on a draft Security Council resolution, but complications persist,” he said.
“First, Israel does not favour UN peacekeeping forces; it wants a force only approved by the Security Council. Second, there’s disagreement over including Trump’s Gaza peace plan in the resolution; Israel opposes giving it UN status," he explained.
"Third, Israel rejects the participation of Turkish troops. And fourth, there is contention over whether the force’s mandate should include disarming Hamas, a point strongly rejected by Hamas and others,” he continued.
He said the resolution may be tabled at the Security Council “next week or the following one,” with troop deployment expected immediately after approval.
Possible contributors include Indonesia, which offered 20,000 troops; Pakistan, whose participation Israel has approved; Azerbaijan; and potentially Egyptian and EU specialized forces to retrain Palestinian security units.
“Around 10,000 Palestinian personnel trained in Egypt and Jordan are also expected to join,” he added.
Gaza Administration Committee
On the proposed Gaza Administration Committee in Trump’s plan, Bahbah said, “The Arab-Egyptian-Palestinian understanding is that it will consist of independent Palestinian figures chosen by the PLO and agreed upon by all parties. However, there is a recent US proposal for Washington to play a role in selecting the names, which would be very difficult to impose on the Palestinians.”
He added that “the Peace Council, which Palestinians had no role in forming, is chaired by President Trump. The new proposal is to establish an executive committee between the Peace Council and the local Gaza committee, possibly including representatives from several countries, including Palestinians. These ideas are still under discussion but have not been finalized.”
According to Bahbah, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is being considered to head the executive committee if Trump can secure a consensus on his appointment.
Bahbah denied being offered a role in either the Peace Council or the executive committee himself.
“It appears Blair has been working on a Gaza reconstruction plan for some time, which he presented to President Trump,” Bahbah said. “Trump liked it and asked him to continue developing it. If the US president wants him involved, I doubt anyone would oppose,” he noted.
Displacement “Off the Table”
On the issue of Palestinian displacement, Bahbah said, “Displacement is not on the table at all right now. If they want Gaza to become a Riviera, then let it be a Palestinian Riviera, why not?”
Israel had “failed to persuade other countries to implement any displacement plan,” he concluded.
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