Deadline for Hamas disarmament response looms, Israel warns of renewed Gaza fighting

Israel has warned that “all options are open” if Hamas fails to respond by the weekend to a U.S.-backed disarmament plan tied to the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, raising the prospect of renewed fighting in the enclave. Officials, however, say any escalation may not be immediate, citing the military’s ongoing focus on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Former UN official Nickolay Mladenov, who currently serves as the board’s director general, is scheduled to meet with Hamas officials and receive the final response from the terror group. The response from Hamas will then impact the board’s decision on the next stages in the reconstruction plan of Gaza. 

Mladenov warned Hamas of serious consequences if the group rejects the proposal. “Those who do not cross the river will drown in the sea,” he wrote. 

The American-backed proposal envisions Hamas disarming in stages. The plan also links the withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza to verifiable disarmament of Hamas operatives in the enclave. 

“Soon we will know whether there will be agreed disarmament or whether things are headed in a bad direction,” an unnamed senior board official stated. “These are the final stages of the deliberations."

The plan reportedly also keeps the door open to potentially integrating some Hamas operatives into Gaza’s new emerging police force. However, Israeli officials have signaled that the Jewish state will not accept Hamas terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, atrocities against Israeli civilians. 

However, Hamas leaders have on multiple occasions rejected the demand to disarm. In February, senior Hamas official Khaled Mashal rejected disarmament and expressed opposition to “foreign intervention” in the Gaza Strip, a reference to the American-backed International Stabilization Force (ISF). Representatives of the Iranian-backed terrorist group Islamic Jihad have also rejected the demand for disarmament as a prerequisite for reconstruction in Gaza. 

Hamas officials have stressed that they intend to retain some weapons for “self-defense.” Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have therefore suggested that Hamas could be offered to hand in its heavy arms within the next 90 days. It is unclear whether Hamas is prepared to accept those terms. However, the board is trying to convince Hamas to change its mind by stressing that Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and real reconstruction will not happen before Hamas operatives disarm. 

“We are focused on Gaza and will soon know which direction things are heading – toward a positive outcome of agreed disarmament or a negative one. We are in the final stages of deliberation and very close to Hamas’ decision on disarmament, yes or no,” a senior Board of Peace official recently said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a board official expressed cautious optimism, stating that Hamas officials “have at times surprised positively, such as with the release of hostages. They will need to announce this month whether they are prepared to disarm.”