The differences over what should happen first — the disarmament of Hamas or the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — once again strained on Sunday the plan promoted by the United States to move towards the second phase of the ceasefire. While the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected the 15-point document, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to the proposal promoted by President Donald Trump.
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The Palestinian group assured it maintains a “firm commitment” to the roadmap issued by the Peace Board and stated that its priority is to advance the full implementation of the agreement.
“The priority at this stage must be to ensure the full implementation of the agreement in all its phases and requirements, which will lead to a complete ceasefire, the end of attacks against our people, the completion of the withdrawal (of Israel) or the opening of border crossings,” Hamas said in a statement.
The group added that the next stage must include the entry of humanitarian aid and supplies, the start of Gaza’s reconstruction, and the launch of the National Committee responsible for managing the enclave.
The position contrasts with that expressed this Sunday by Netanyahu, who stated that Israel does not accept the 15-point document and conditioned any withdrawal on the prior disarmament of Hamas.
According to him, the Israeli pullback will only take place after a “genuine disarmament, not a fictitious disarmament”, which includes the surrender of heavy and light weaponry.
Netanyahu acknowledged that he is holding talks with Washington about the proposal, but warned that there are U.S. positions that Israel considers “unacceptable, and we know how to stand firm against these things.”
From Hamas, political member Basem Naim called on Washington to intervene to prevent the process from stalling.
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“We hope that the mediators and the U.S. guarantor will pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap and not obstruct the process for internal political and electoral reasons,” he said.
The plan was presented by the Peace Board on July 30 and gives both parties a deadline to agree on the schedule and mechanisms intended to carry out the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The main difference arose from the beginning regarding the order in which both measures should be executed. Hamas proposes that Israel must end its operations and advance the withdrawal as the first step, while the Israeli government demands that the group surrender its weapons before any pullback.
In its statement this Sunday, Hamas did not directly refer to the disarmament process, although it had previously expressed willingness to hand over weapons if Israel leaves the enclave. The group also called on Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and the Peace Board to ensure that Israel complies with what was agreed.
Egypt and Turkey also insisted during the day on the need to advance in the first two phases of the roadmap, including the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Trump had presented the agreement reached at the end of July as a step towards the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups and towards a more lasting resolution to the conflict.
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