KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Six months after US President Donald J. Trump unveiled his ambitious ceasefire and reconstruction plan for the Gaza Strip, the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group remains more armed, entrenched, and openly defiant than ever.
Far from disarming, the Islamist group now controls roughly half the Gaza Strip and much of its population, while making a mockery of Trump's "Board of Peace" initiative and the international mediators sponsoring it.
It is now clear that the Trump administration's strategy was based on a misguided assumption that Hamas (a theocratic terror regime like Iran's) could somehow be persuaded through negotiations, incentives, and diplomatic pressure to voluntarily surrender its weapons and abandon its jihadist ideology.
The exact opposite has happened. Hamas not only rejected disarmament, but also used the ceasefire periods to solidify control, regroup politically and militarily, and humiliate the people negotiating with them.
According to Palestinian and Israeli sources, talks between Hamas and representatives of the "Board of Peace," headed by former United Nations official Nickolay Mladenov, recently reached a dead end in Cairo after Hamas again rejected the central demand of Trump's 20-point plan: total disarmament.
"No one was surprised six months ago, and no one is surprised today that Hamas refuses to disarm," an Israeli source familiar with the negotiations told i24 News.
Indeed, no one should be surprised.
Expecting Hamas to disarm voluntarily is like expecting ISIS or Al-Qaeda to renounce jihad (holy war) and become peaceful political movements.
Hamas's weapons are not merely military tools; they are the foundation of its ideology, identity, and power. Asking Hamas to hand over its weapons is essentially asking the group to sign its own death warrant.
Hamas leaders themselves are not hiding their position. Recently, an unnamed Hamas official declared bluntly that his group "will not accept disarmament." Another insisted that the issue of weapons could only be discussed within the framework of a future Palestinian state and broader political arrangements.
Hamas, in other words, is clearly saying: no disarmament now, no disarmament later, no disarmament ever.
Yet, despite these repeated rejections, the "Board of Peace" continues its embarrassing efforts to negotiate with Hamas over the surrender of its weapons. The entire spectacle has become surreal. Instead of confronting Hamas with meaningful consequences, the international mediators appear to be pleading with the terrorist group to cooperate.
What happened to all the deadlines, ultimatums and threats issued by Trump and his administration over the past year? What happened to the repeated warnings that Hamas would face devastating consequences if it refused to disarm?
So far, Hamas has paid no meaningful price for its defiance.
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