HAMAS REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO TRUMP-BACKED GAZA PEACE PLAN

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Agency Report

Hamas said on Saturday that it remained prepared to proceed with a US-backed peace initiative for Gaza and called on Washington to pressure Israel to honour the agreement, amid disagreements over the latest phase of the plan.

The Palestinian militant group told US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace that it remained committed to the next stage of the proposal, which would involve Hamas and other armed factions handing over their weapons to an emerging Palestinian governing body in the war-ravaged territory.

“Hamas and other factions have confirmed to mediators their readiness to begin implementing the agreement and move to the second phase, provided it receives Israeli approval and that Israel begins implementing the agreement,” a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official urged the US administration to pressure Israel to comply with the agreement and proceed to the second phase.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a difficult re-election battle in October and opposition from sections of his right-wing political base over the Gaza deal, said on Tuesday that Israel had not agreed to the “draft” presented by the Board of Peace.

Trump had described Hamas’ reported willingness to disarm under the proposal as a major breakthrough. The Board of Peace said the agreement would involve Israel carrying out a phased withdrawal from large parts of Gaza in return.

However, following a meeting with the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, Netanyahu maintained that Israeli forces would withdraw only after Hamas had been fully disarmed.

The Israeli military has also vowed to continue its operations against Hamas, which launched the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the conflict.

Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued, although their intensity appears to have declined in recent days. On Saturday, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis reported that three people were injured by Israeli army gunfire.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas-controlled authorities, Israeli military operations have killed 1,257 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreed by the two sides in October last year with US backing.

The United Nations considers the ministry’s casualty figures broadly reliable.

The Israeli military, meanwhile, has reported five deaths among its troops during the same period.

(AFP)