As the US is preoccupied with the crisis in Iran, the Palestinian terror group Hamas has again announced its rejection of President Donald J. Trump's 20-point plan for ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas leaders may havetoldUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during secret meetings that the terror group does not rule out the possibility of laying down its weapons. "Hamas has always indicated that they would disarm," Witkoffsaidin November 2025.
"They've said so – they said it to us directly during the famous meeting that Jared [Kushner] had with them. I hope they keep their word because if they do, they'll understand that the development plan we have for Gaza is really terrific – a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before."
When addressing Arab audiencesin Arabic, however, Hamas leaders and senior officials have beensayingthe exact opposite.
Anyone who believes that Hamas would "keep their word" is grotesquely misguided. Before the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, many people seemed to believe Hamas when its leaders used tosaythat they were interested in maintaining their ceasefire with Israel.
Moreover, the assumption that pro-Hamas members of the "Board of Peace" such as Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan would participate in any effort to disarm the terror group is clueless and misinformed.
Recent statements in Arabic by two of the terror group's senior officials, Khaled Mashaal and Mahmoud Mardawi, show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump's plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmament, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of the Gaza Strip, and the deployment of an international security force there.
Reminder: Trump'splan, announced in October 2025, calls for the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic committee that would be responsible for "delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities, with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the 'Board of Peace,' which will be headed and chaired by President Donald J. Trump."
According to President Trump'splan:
There will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include placing weaponspermanentlybeyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning..." [Emphasis added.]
Source: Gatestone Institute :: Articles
