The US-controlled Board of Peace has coaxed Hamas into accepting a proposal requiring the terror group to hand over all its weapons, according to a senior US official briefing reporters. The development marks a major shift in the ongoing conflict, though immediate implementation remains stalled over conflicting demands regarding Israeli military positions and humanitarian commitments.
Disarmament Proposal and Israeli Involvement
Following Hamas’s approval of the 15-point disarmament plan on July 30, a senior US official indicated that implementation could begin immediately because approval from Israel was not necessary to move forward. The US official reasoned that Israel had already agreed to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for ending the Gaza war in September, meaning Jerusalem was merely asked to uphold its commitments from that umbrella framework.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the disarmament plan, insisting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would not conduct any of the withdrawals required by the proposals. Recognizing that Israeli buy-in is necessary, the Board of Peace engaged intensively with Jerusalem. However, officials noted that altering the disarmament proposal would risk losing Hamas’s support.
The Battle Over the Yellow Line
Postwar Gaza reconstruction has proceeded with significant ambiguity, exemplified by disputes over the Yellow Line demarcation. Under the October 2025 ceasefire deal, Israel was required to pull forces to a line dividing Gaza into eastern and western halves, leaving the IDF in control of 53 percent of the Strip. As phase-two disarmament talks stalled, Netanyahu directed the IDF to occupy 70% of Gaza, pushing the Yellow Line toward the coast and shrinking the territory for the some 2 million Palestinian residents.
Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov stated in a Sunday interview with Channel 12 that Israel is currently at the Yellow Line and asked that the IDF not position troops further away. However, an Israeli official and an Arab diplomat disputed claims by a source familiar with the matter that troops had not moved past the original demarcation, with the Arab diplomat asserting that Israel must withdraw those forces for the disarmament proposal to work.
Unmet Humanitarian Commitments and Next Steps
Under the October 2025 ceasefire deal, also known as the Sharm Sheikh Protocol, Israel agreed to complete a series of commitments before Hamas begins disarming. According to an Arab diplomat, these include facilitating the entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza each day, expanding operations at crossings, increasing access to fuel, shelter, and medical supplies, and allowing critical infrastructure repairs.
Additionally, the Board of Peace requires Israel to allow the entry into Gaza of the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with replacing Hamas in governing the Strip, permit an International Stabilization Force responsible for securing the enclave, and let several thousand recruits to the new Palestinian police force leave Gaza for training in Egypt. While the diplomat expressed skepticism that all steps would be met before the October 27 election, a source familiar with the matter noted that Israel has already met the most important demand by halting its military operations in Gaza following a major series of deadly strikes in the weekend that immediately followed Hamas’s approval of the plan.
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