Board of Peace Hamas disarmament proposal : NPR
A Palestinian activist wearing the uniform of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, October 15, 2025.
Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Ahmad Salem/Bloomberg via Getty Images
SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom and JERUSALEM — Mediators have formally proposed that Hamas lay down its arms, a senior U.S. official tells NPR. The proposal calls on Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to hand over all weapons, thereby making an emerging government authority responsible for all weapons.
The demilitarization proposal was handed over to Hamas last week in Cairo, another regional official said.
A third person briefed on the proposal called it a comprehensive framework aimed at ensuring the “full surrender” and “complete decommissioning” of weapons belonging to Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, and that if Hamas accepted the proposal it would ensure a large-scale reconstruction of Gaza.
The person said Hamas had been asked to respond to the proposal in about a week, after the Muslim holiday of Eid. Senior Hamas officials had no immediate comment, and a Hamas official denied receiving a proposal.
Hamas and Israel signed President Trump’s ceasefire agreement last October, aiming to end two years of war that devastated Gaza and sparked conflicts across the Middle East.
Trump’s Peace Council was created to oversee efforts to demilitarize Hamas, establish a multinational stabilization force for Gaza and ensure Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Hamas officials said they were willing to discuss their weapons, but were waiting for a formal proposal from mediators.
The Peace Council’s work, however, has been largely suspended since the United States and Israel launched war against Iran on Feb. 28, sparking a new regional conflict that has engulfed more than a dozen countries.
Members of the new Palestinian transition committee charged with managing Gaza after the war have still not entered the territory, and no new Palestinian police force or multinational force has been formed.
Despite the fragile truce agreement, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel says the attacks targeted Hamas militants. Several Israeli soldiers were also killed in attacks carried out by militants.
Robert Danin, a former senior US State Department and White House official specializing in the Middle East, said it was unlikely that Hamas would be rushed to respond to or accept the demilitarization proposal.
“Hamas considers that time is on its side at the moment,” Danin said. “With each day that passes, its influence and control on the ground in Gaza strengthens and expands, particularly as long as the alternative governance structures and forces proposed by the Gaza Peace Council remain blocked outside the Strip. So the longer Hamas can prolong this status quo, the more it sees its hand strengthened with each passing day.”
Danin said the distraction caused by the war with Iran would likely also draw attention away from pressure on Hamas.
“This means that for the Peace Council and those seeking to disarm Hamas, the key question is what tools does it have to see Hamas adopt this plan?” he said.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israel. Israel’s massive military response has killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza and left the coastal enclave in ruins, according to Palestinian health officials.
Despite the fragile ceasefire agreement, over the past six months, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, in what Israel considers attacks targeting Hamas militants. Several Israeli soldiers were also killed in attacks carried out by militants.
