U.S.-Backed Plan Proposes Gaza Disarmament

A disarmament proposal for Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza was presented last week by the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, outlining an eight-month process to surrender weapons and destroy military infrastructure, including the group's extensive tunnel network, as a prerequisite for Israeli troop withdrawals and reconstruction efforts in the territory.

The plan, detailed in a 12-point document and a five-stage timeline, aims to implement key elements of the October 10 ceasefire that ended more than two years of intense conflict between Israel and Hamas. It establishes governance under the principle of one authority, one law, and one weapon, with security responsibilities transferring to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a technocratic body appointed to manage daily affairs. All factions, including Islamic Jihad, would participate in the process, overseen by a verification committee led by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's director.

Under the timeline, the first stage, lasting 15 days, would involve the committee assuming security and administrative control while halting all military operations and enforcing humanitarian aid protocols. In the second...