(Cairo) Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Egypt, the mediator in the Gaza Strip war, has proposed that Hamas militants hiding in the southern Gaza city of Rafah surrender their weapons and safely relocate to other parts of Gaza.
US Special Envoy Witkov said on Thursday (November 6) that the plan involves approximately 200 Hamas personnel and will serve as a litmus test for Hamas's complete disarmament in Gaza.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on October 10, at least two attacks against Israeli forces have occurred in Rafah. Israel has accused Hamas of being behind the attacks, which Hamas denies.
An Egyptian security official who revealed the information said that Egypt proposed that, in exchange for safe passage, the militants in Rafah surrender their weapons and provide detailed information about local tunnels for Egypt to destroy.
Two sources said that neither Israel nor Hamas has publicly accepted the offer. A third source confirmed that negotiations are still ongoing.
Further Reading
The Israeli Prime Minister's office has not yet responded; Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Qassem, declined to comment.
Two sources said that the Hamas armed faction claims to have been cut off from the outside world since March and may not be aware of the ceasefire agreement.
Trump: International Forces to Enter Gaza Soon
The ceasefire is the first step in US President Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. The next phase of Trump's plan requires Hamas to disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, with a Palestinian technical bureaucratic committee under international supervision managing Gaza, and the deployment of an international force. No agreement has yet been reached on the arrangements for this phase. Witkov said at a business conference in Florida that the formation of the international force would be completed within three weeks.
Trump said on Thursday that he expects a US-coordinated international force to enter Gaza soon. The force, likely composed of members from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, will be responsible for training and supporting Palestinian police officers in Gaza and for maintaining border security and preventing the smuggling of weapons into Hamas's hands.
Kazakhstan announced on Thursday that it will join the Abraham Accords, a treaty between Israel and predominantly Muslim countries. This move, largely symbolic, is seen as an attempt to support President Trump's efforts to promote peace in the Middle East, given that Kazakhstan has maintained formal diplomatic relations with Israel for decades.
