Hamas must disarm before IDF withdrawal, Board of Peace demands

Previously, Hamas said it would not disarm until Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Board of Peace said Monday that Israeli forces will withdraw beyond the Yellow Line only after Hamas has completed the decommissioning of its weapons.

In a statement posted on X after a meeting between High Representative Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace team, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and their respective delegations, the organization said Hamas had committed to mediators that the withdrawal would occur only after the decommissioning of light weapons, heavy weapons and the tunnel network.

The meeting focused on implementing the Gaza framework aimed at dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities, transitioning the territory to civilian governance and advancing what the Board of Peace described as a safer future for Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.

The Board of Peace said the discussions were “constructive and detailed” and that it and Israel shared a common understanding of the framework’s ultimate objectives.

It said the goal of fully decommissioning weapons in the Gaza Strip and replacing rule by armed groups with civilian governance was not in question but described achieving it as a process that would be addressed in the next phase of the work.

Implementation will be supervised by the International Stabilisation Force and the Implementation Verification Committee, whose members include the United States and the Board of Peace, the statement said.

It added that further progress would depend on all parties fulfilling their obligations under the agreed framework.

The agreement had previously faced a stalemate, with Hamas saying it would not surrender any weapons or implement any phase of the deal until Israel completely halted its airstrikes, fulfilled its humanitarian aid obligations and fully withdrew its military forces from Gaza.

Israeli officials have maintained that no military withdrawal will take place before Hamas fully demilitarizes and surrenders its arsenal.

The Board of Peace’s statement indicates that the agreed sequence calls for Hamas to complete the decommissioning of its weapons before Israeli forces withdraw beyond the Yellow Line, matching the position publicly maintained by Israel.