Overview
- In an interview, Hamas figure Khaled Mechaal proposed freezing or storing the group’s weapons in return for a durable truce, calling total disarmament unacceptable.
- He said Hamas could accept international peacekeepers positioned along the Gaza–Israel border but rejected their deployment inside Gaza.
- An Israeli government official said the Trump plan requires Hamas to be disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, leaving no future role for the group.
- Mechaal noted ongoing talks with mediators and suggested a pragmatic U.S. approach could accommodate the weapons freeze concept.
- Negotiators are discussing a next phase that envisions an Israeli withdrawal and an international stabilization force, with Benjamin Netanyahu signaling he wants to advance to that stage this month.