A new US-backed proposal has reportedly been presented to Hamas, calling on the group to give up its weapons as part of efforts to ensure a long-term ceasefire in Gaza.According to the New York Times, the plan has been put forward by the Board of Peace, created under US President Donald Trump in January this year as a body to resolve international conflicts. The proposal states that Hamas and other armed groups would gradually hand over their weapons, while Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza.The peace board monitoring the ceasefire recently held talks with Hamas leaders in Cairo. Its Gaza representative, Nikolay Mladenov, discussed details with the group last week.Disarmament has remained a major issue since a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas in October. The United States and Israel have linked Gaza’s reconstruction to Hamas’s arms embargo.However, the group’s ideology is based on armed resistance to Israel, and giving up weapons is viewed by many members as a surrender. Officials reportedly expect Hamas to respond to the US proposal after Eid al-Fitr.Hamas has so far expressed no desire to completely disarm. During discussions with Arab mediators, group officials said their members needed personal weapons to protect themselves from possible attacks by other Palestinians in Gaza.
