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Hamas reportedly willing to disarm in exchange for political future in Gaza
A quiet deal that could reshape Gaza
After years of bloodshed, blockades, and broken ceasefires, a startling report has injected a new sense of uncertainty into the future of Gaza. According to Sky News Arabia, Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed in principle to surrender its weapons in return for safe passage out of Gaza for its leadership and permission to continue operating as a political movement.
If true, the reported arrangement would mark one of the most dramatic shifts in Hamas’ history since it took control of Gaza in 2007. For a group defined internationally by armed resistance, the idea of laying down weapons cuts to the core of its identity.
What the reported agreement includes
The report, citing an unnamed Palestinian source, claims Hamas has already handed over some weapons and detailed maps of its underground tunnel network. These were allegedly passed to the United States through an undisclosed mechanism. In return, Washington is said to have offered assurances that Hamas would not be excluded from Gaza’s political future.
Under the proposed terms, some Hamas bureaucrats and police officers could continue working under a new governing authority, provided they pass an Israeli-American security vetting process. The most sensitive part of the deal involves Hamas leaders being allowed to leave Gaza, with guarantees that they would not be targeted abroad.
So far, neither Hamas nor the United States has publicly confirmed or denied the claims. Israel has also remained silent, although the source suggested there are serious reservations, especially around allowing Hamas to remain politically active.
Why Israel is unlikely to be convinced easily
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to destroy Hamas entirely during the two-year war in Gaza. Any proposal that leaves the group alive, even as a political entity, cuts directly against that promise.
Since an October ceasefire came into effect, accusations of violations have continued from both sides. More than 450 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been killed during the truce period, underlining just how fragile the pause in fighting has been.
A bigger US vision taking shape
The timing of the report raised eyebrows. It surfaced just hours before US President Donald Trump signed the so-called Board of Peace into existence. Initially pitched as a small technocratic body to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, the board has ballooned into a large international organisation with Trump named as its chairman.
Memberships have reportedly been offered to 60 countries, with a price tag attached for permanent status. Critics have pointed out that Gaza is not mentioned anywhere in the board’s founding charter, fuelling accusations that the initiative is less about peace on the ground and more about reshaping global governance structures.
Public reaction and cautious scepticism
Online reaction has been sharply divided. Some commentators see the report as the first realistic off-ramp from endless war, arguing that political integration may be the only way to stabilise Gaza. Others dismiss it as unrealistic or even dangerous, warning that disarmament claims have surfaced before without lasting results.
In South Africa, where public sympathy for Palestinians runs deep, the story has sparked debate about whether armed resistance can ever truly give way to political compromise without justice and accountability.
What happens next
For now, everything hinges on whether the reported understandings exist beyond anonymous briefings. Without official confirmation from Hamas, Israel, or Washington, the claims remain unproven. Still, the idea that Hamas could abandon its weapons, even conditionally, suggests that exhaustion, pressure, and shifting regional politics may be forcing once-unthinkable conversations.
Whether this becomes a turning point or another footnote in Gaza’s long conflict will depend on what emerges from behind the secrecy in the days ahead.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: NBC News
