Hamas Sets Preconditions for U.S.-Brokered Gaza Deal, Demands Israeli Action First

A new peace initiative for Gaza, announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump, faces significant hurdles after a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Friday that the group will not implement the deal until Israel fulfills its obligations under a prior agreement.

The statement introduces immediate and substantial preconditions to the plan, which Trump described on his Truth Social platform as a "major milestone" involving the complete disarmament of Hamas.

Conflicting Demands Threaten Deal

The viability of the agreement is in question as both sides maintain conflicting stances. Hamas insists that progress is dependent on Israel adhering to the terms of a ceasefire agreement reached last year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

• According to Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, this requires Israel to first end its military operations in Gaza and withdraw its forces.
• Conversely, an Israeli official, cited by Reuters, stated that Israel's position remains that "there will be no withdrawal whatsoever... unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament."

This impasse mirrors previous failed attempts to secure a lasting peace, where disputes over the sequence of actions have derailed negotiations.

Disarmament and Governance at the Core

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The new roadmap, published by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Palestinian technocratic body, outlines a 15-point plan for governance and security. The plan calls for the NCAG to oversee a process to "decommission and store heavy weapons" and related military infrastructure.

Crucially, this process is explicitly linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal. The document also specifies that no weapons would be handed over to Israel or any non-Palestinian parties. Hamad, while calling the new agreement "difficult and painful," notably avoided using the term disarmament, referring instead to a "comprehensive framework."

Skepticism on the Ground

Shortly after Trump's announcement, Gazan medical authorities reported that an Israeli airstrike killed one Palestinian and wounded several others, highlighting the fragile security situation. Residents in Gaza expressed deep skepticism about the deal's prospects.

"We are not seeing any agreement at all, nothing from what he (Trump) is saying," Samir Ayad, a 60-year-old displaced Palestinian, told Reuters. This sentiment underscores the disconnect between high-level diplomatic announcements and the unchanged reality for those living in the conflict zone.