Trump's peace plan for Gaza “Ignores the Interests of the Palestinian People,” Says a Hamas Official to
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group is likely to reject Trump's plan.
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the armed group is likely to reject Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza presented on Monday because it “serves the interests of the Palestinian people.” of Israel” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people.”
This source indicated that Hamas is unlikely to agree to disarm and hand over its weapons, a key condition of Trump’s plan.
He also said that Hamas does not accept Trump’s proposed deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, which it considers a new form of occupation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted Trump’s plan during talks at the White House on Monday. Hamas has yet to issue an official response.
Qatar's foreign minister has stated that Hamas is studying the White House proposal "responsibly."
A senior Palestinian official with knowledge of the internal Hamas talks told the BBC that they involve the group's leadership, both inside and outside Gaza.
The group's military commander in the territory, Ez al-Din al-Haddad, is believed to be determined to continue fighting rather than accept the offered plan.
Hamas figures outside Gaza have recently been sidelined in the discussions as they do not have direct control over the Israeli hostages held by the armed group.
Hamas's doubts
The ongoing talks within Hamas will last several days, according to the sources, and include other Palestinian factions.
The armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which took part in the attack on October 7, 2023, and which previously held some Israeli hostages, rejected Trump's plan on Tuesday.
A critical point in the plan for Hamas is believed to be the one that requires them to hand over all the hostages at once, which would mean they would be left without their only bargaining chip.
Even with Donald Trump’s backing of the plan, Hamas’s leadership does not trust Israel to resume military operations once it receives the hostages, a distrust compounded after the Israeli military attempted to assassinate Hamas’s leadership in Doha earlier this month against US judgment.
Furthermore, a map of Gaza shared by the Trump administration shows what appears to be a planned buffer zone along the Strip’s southern border with Egypt. It's unclear how this would be administered, but if Israel is involved, it's also likely to be a point of contention.
On the other hand, since agreeing to the plan on Monday night, Netanyahu appears to have qualified his agreement with several of the points.
In a video shared on X, he insists that the Israeli military could remain in parts of Gaza and that Israel would "resist by force" a Palestinian state.
This runs counter to the terms of Trump's plan, which stipulates a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and states that once the plan is complete, there could be a "credible path to self-determination and the creation of a Palestinian state."
Gazati perspective
Inside Gaza, Palestinians were generally in favor of the plan, but only because it would lead to an end to the war.
Khadar Abu Kweik told the BBC: "The US plan has bad clauses, but I support it because it will stop the war and rid us of Hamas. Even if the devil himself brought a plan to end this hell we live in, I would support it.”
Palestinian journalist Fathi Sabah commented: “A rejection by Hamas, God forbid, would mean giving Netanyahu the green light to continue the war with American and Western backing to destroy what remains of Gaza and the central region.”
“The people of Gaza cannot bear it. They are devastated, exhausted, desperate, and without hope,” he stated.
“They want a ceasefire right now, not tomorrow, at any price, even though they know the plan serves Netanyahu’s interests, is full of traps, and does not reflect his aspirations,” he added.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and 251 were taken hostage.
At least 66,097 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since then, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In August, a UN-backed body confirmed that famine is occurring in Gaza City.
Earlier this month,A UN commission of inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel strongly denies this.
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