Washington, DC – Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Peace Council, established at the initiative of US President Donald Trump, has presented Hamas with a formal written proposal outlining mechanisms for the group to lay down its arms and dismantle its military wing. This move, first reported by NPR, represents one of the most explicit diplomatic pressures exerted since the start of the peace process. Hamas, however, continues to refuse to make this crucial decision.
The two sources reported that the proposal was delivered during intensive meetings held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, last week, attended by prominent figures in Trump’s diplomatic team, including Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Aryeh Lightstone, senior aide to Special Envoy Steve Wittkopf.
This move aims to activate the “Trump Plan for Gaza,” which received initial approval from Israel and Hamas last October. The plan is based on a three-pronged approach: a complete Israeli withdrawal, the commencement of comprehensive reconstruction, and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
In a firm message delivered via the X platform on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, Mladenov affirmed that the option is now “on the table,” demanding that Hamas and all other factions completely relinquish their weapons without exception.
Mladenov described the moment as “full of hope.” He also called on the movement’s leadership to make the best choice for the Palestinian people, asserting that this would pave the way for the flow of aid and the reconstruction of what the war had destroyed.
It is worth noting that the Peace Council, which held its first meeting in Washington on February 19, represents a new international entity comprising representatives from 19 countries that signed its charter in Davos.
While its current primary mission is to administer the post-war Gaza Strip in accordance with the framework agreements, the Council’s ambitions extend to resolving other regional and international conflicts. The issue of disarmament remains the major obstacle hindering the transformation of Gaza’s devastation into a reconstruction effort. Meanwhile, the international community awaits official responses from within the movement in the coming days.
