Senior Hamas leaders in Doha told to lay down weapons after Trump ceasefire proposal - report

Senior Hamas leaders in Doha told to lay down weapons after Trump ceasefire proposal - report

JERUSALEM POST STAFF

Doha-based senior Hamas leaders have been told to lay down their arms as part of the efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel, according to a Thursday morning report from The Times newspaper. 

The report comes after US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Israel had agreed to the US-proposed ceasefire conditions.

The Hamas terror group said it has been "holding discussions to reach an agreement that will ensure the end of aggressions, the withdrawal of forces, and grant aid to the people of Gaza," The Times report added.

The Times stated that those told to lay down their weapons were "the most senior Hamas leaders outside Gaza,  including the lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and other key figures."

One of the key figures reportedly included Hamas political ­bureau member Zaher Jabareen, "a founder of the group’s military wing in the West Bank."

An additional bureau member told to lay down weapons was Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who had "met the leaders of Iran and Turkey this year while shuttling between Cairo and Doha for indirect negotiations with Israel," the report said.

The move is seen as a symbolic reflection of Hamas's interest in the ceasefire proposal, as Israel has demanded the total disarmament of Hamas as a condition to end the war

Netanyahu determined 'there will not be a Hamas'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the elimination of Hamas in his first public remarks on Wednesday since Trump announced his "final proposal" for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.

"There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a Hamastan. We're not going back to that. It's over. We will free all our hostages," Netanyahu stated. 

Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night that he hopes Hamas agrees to take the deal "for the good of the Middle East."