The High Representative of the Gaza Peace Council, Nickolay Mladenov, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, along with members of the Board of Peace team, to discuss the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza and preparations for a transition towards civilian governance.
In a statement, the council said the meeting was “constructive and detailed,” adding that Israel and the Board of Peace shared a common understanding of the ultimate objectives, including the “complete decommissioning of weapons in the Strip” and moving away from “rule by the gun” towards civilian governance. It said the process would include light and heavy weapons as well as tunnels, and would be overseen by the International Stabilisation Force and the Implementation Verification Committee.
The council also said that the withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond the “Yellow Line” would take place only after the completion of the decommissioning process, as committed by Hamas to the mediators, adding that further progress would depend on all parties fulfilling their obligations under the agreed framework.
Hamas announced this week that it has agreed to begin disarming under a proposal unveiled by US President Donald Trump calling for the group’s complete disarmament in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations and a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
The move could mark a breakthrough towards ending the war in the devastated Strip, although significant challenges remain. Under the proposal, the two sides have 14 days to finalise a timetable and implementation mechanisms for Hamas’ disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
However, disagreements have already emerged over the sequence in which the two steps would be carried out.
Following intensive talks with Palestinian factions in Cairo, Hamas said in a statement last week that Israel’s commitment to halting the daily killing of Palestinians in Gaza and ending its military campaign was fundamental to implementing the agreement. The group also stressed that moving to the second phase of the ceasefire deal depends on Israel fulfilling all the provisions of the first phase.
Palestinian political analyst Akram Attallah told Al-Ahram Weekly that Hamas’ decision represents one of the most significant strategic shifts in the movement’s history, reflecting its willingness to relinquish both military and civilian control over Gaza after nearly two decades of rule.
“Hamas has agreed to relinquish its military and civilian control of the Gaza Strip, hand over its weapons to a technocratic committee under an agreed mechanism, and transfer administration of the territory to it,” Attallah said.
“It has also agreed not to insist, as it has in the past, on retaining its employees within the new administration after a solution is reached providing for their retirement.”
“This decision will undoubtedly have far-reaching impacts on Hamas’ future and its role in the Gaza Strip. As an armed movement, Hamas’ decision to hand over its weapons is expected to diminish its role in governing the Strip and reshape its standing, identity, and role as a Palestinian national liberation movement. All of these elements are interconnected,” he added.
He said that Hamas’ calculations were driven primarily by developments on the ground and the political timetable in Israel.
“Hamas has agreed to these terms now because Israel is approaching elections, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to end Hamas’ rule in the Gaza Strip. Had Hamas not made these concessions, Israel would likely have proceeded with plans to occupy an additional 30 per cent of what remains of the Gaza Strip, turning the war into an election issue. That prompted the mediators to make clear to Hamas the consequences of rejecting the proposal,” Attallah said.
He argued that regional dynamics had played a role, although not in the way many observers had expected.
“The decision was not directly linked to the war with Iran. Iran did not make ending the war in Gaza a condition for ending its own conflict, unlike the arrangement reached in Lebanon. That left Hamas disappointed and prompted the movement to consider reaching a separate agreement with the mediators on the future of the Gaza Strip, independent of the Iranian situation,” Attallah said.
Palestinian analyst Reham Owda told the Weekly by phone from Ankara that the agreement marks a significant shift in Hamas’ long-term strategy, with the movement appearing to move towards a prolonged truce with Israel while placing greater emphasis on its political role.
Owda said Hamas’ insistence on linking the storage of its weapons to an Israeli withdrawal suggests the movement is trying to remove what it sees as Israel’s main justification for continuing the war while making its withdrawal a central condition for moving forward.
After the text of the agreement was released, Israel said it had “serious security concerns” regarding the proposal and had shared them with the United States. Conflicting positions emerged among Israeli officials following Trump’s announcement. While Trump said at Camp David that a Board of Peace agreement had been reached and that Israel was satisfied with it, several Israeli officials said the draft did not fully meet Israel’s demands.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected the proposal, describing it as unacceptable and calling for the resumption of military operations.
In a separate development, former Fatah official Mohamed Dahlan said on Saturday that Israel had agreed to halt its military strikes on Gaza, adding that he had received assurances to that effect from Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner.
According to Dahlan, Israel’s agreement came after Hamas and other Palestinian factions approved a 15-point roadmap. “The success of the agreement now depends on Israel halting its attacks in Gaza,” Dahlan said in a post on X.
The agreement stipulates that weapons handed over by Hamas would be placed under the custody of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) headed by Ali Shaath. The committee described the move as an important milestone for the people of Gaza and said it was fully prepared to assume its responsibilities and work with all partners to support the territory’s recovery.
Earlier this month, Hamas dissolved its government in Gaza and said it was preparing to transfer administrative authority to the UN-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza under the ceasefire agreement as part of efforts to establish a transitional administration for the territory.
Attallah said the proposed post-war administrative structure represents a fundamental departure by Hamas from Gaza’s existing system of governance.
“The new administrative framework for the Gaza Strip has been built around the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which operates under the Executive Council of the Peace Council and independently of the Palestinian factions. Under the plan, a single institution affiliated with the Peace Council would be responsible for administering the territory,” he said.
The Board of Peace confirmed in a post on X that Hamas had agreed to a detailed roadmap for implementing the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Under the roadmap, Israel is required to fulfil all its remaining obligations under the Sharm El-Sheikh protocol without delay, particularly by ending its military operations.
The roadmap gives the parties 14 days to finalise an implementation timetable before the National Committee enters Gaza to assume its responsibilities.
Under the plan, the National Committee would oversee the gradual collection and storage of weapons according to an agreed timetable. The process would be carried out in parallel with a phased Israeli military withdrawal from areas under its control in Gaza and the disarmament of armed groups.
The roadmap also provides for the dismantling of armed groups in Gaza and bars their integration into newly established security or civilian institutions. Their weapons would be transferred to the custody of the National Committee under an agreed timetable, while their members would be excluded from joining the new security or police forces.
Trump said in a social media post that the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for Gaza would work alongside a newly established Palestinian police force to maintain security in Gaza and help ensure the safety of its residents and neighbouring areas.
The (ISF) will not perform policing duties or undertake responsibilities related to Palestinian civil administration. Instead, it will monitor compliance with the ceasefire, train Palestinian police officers, and help secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential supplies into Gaza.
Despite Hamas’ acceptance of the proposal, Attallah said he does not expect a rapid Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
“Despite Hamas’ approval of the proposal, I do not expect Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip anytime soon. The process will still require further contacts and negotiations. The significant development, however, is Hamas’ willingness to step aside from governing the Gaza Strip,” Attallah said.
Owda said the roadmap appears to reflect a temporary suspension of Hamas’ military activities rather than a complete abandonment of its armed wing, allowing the movement to focus on political and administrative affairs while waiting for regional conditions to change.
Although a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place since October last year, efforts to reach a permanent agreement to end the war have remained deadlocked.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily airstrikes and artillery bombardments across Gaza, more than 60 per cent of which remains under Israeli military control.
According to Gaza health officials, July recorded the highest monthly death toll since the start of the year, with 152 Palestinians killed across the territory. The Gaza Health Ministry also said that 1,250 Palestinians have been killed including 19 in the past 24 hours alone and more than 4,000 injured since the ceasefire took effect.
Israel’s military now controls more than half of the Gaza Strip and has continued expanding the territory under its control by pushing the so-called “yellow line,” the military’s demarcation of areas under Israeli control, beyond the boundaries outlined in the US-sponsored peace plan announced in October 2025.
The expansion has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians confined to overcrowded camps and devastated neighbourhoods.
Owda said Hamas’ decision was also shaped by developments on the ground, including Israel’s continued expansion of areas under its control. She said that the movement fears further territorial fragmentation and a wider military offensive in the areas where it operates if negotiations fail.
She also linked Hamas’ decision to broader regional developments, arguing that the movement recognises that Iran is currently less able to finance the rebuilding of Hamas’ military capabilities while dealing with its own security challenges.
“The shift in Hamas’ position on disarmament reflects broader regional developments,” Owda said. “The movement appears to be adjusting its strategy as it waits for more favourable conditions.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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