Hamas refuses to give up weapons, demands Board of Peace change Gaza ceasefire plan – Jerusalem Post
Hamas rejected the US-led Board of Peace’s disarmament plan and asked for modifications, a source told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. The board’s high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, and three other mediators were present, the source said.
Separately, a senior Palestinian official told the BBC that Mladenov is biased toward Israel and said Israel has not fulfilled its Phase I ceasefire obligations. The official said Hamas will not join Phase II talks until that happens. “We are waiting for Mladenov to provide a clear timetable for Israel to fulfill the remaining obligations of Phase I,” a senior Hamas official told the BBC.
Israel says it has withdrawn from populated areas of Gaza to positions east of the Yellow Line and increased aid, and maintains that progress on Hamas disarmament is required before it takes further steps.
The plan was first presented to Hamas in Cairo last month after US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff announced Phase II in mid-January. Demilitarization was part of the ceasefire signed in October, but Hamas has repeatedly said it will not give up its weapons.
The rejection came days after the deadline to accept the proposal expired at the end of last week. Hamas had delayed its response, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant groups rejected the plan outright soon after it was presented, saying it prioritized disarmament over reconstruction.
