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Hamas has appealed to President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” asking it to pressure Israel to accept a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Gaza.
The appeal came after a Hamas leader met with Trump’s special envoy Jared Kushner in Egypt.
Hamas called on the board to compel Israel to fulfill its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, halt violations, stop military operations and killings, and approve a roadmap for the plan’s second phase.
According to sources cited by The Times of Israel, Hamas also told Kushner that it would begin implementing the proposed disarmament process only if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly commits to the plan.
Netanyahu has publicly opposed the proposal and is unlikely to change his position ahead of Israel’s October 27 Knesset elections.
The “Board of Peace” reportedly hopes that persuading Netanyahu to quietly restore a halt to Israeli military strikes in Gaza could be enough to convince Hamas to begin surrendering its weapons.
However, an Arab diplomat said Hamas is unlikely to proceed without a public statement from Netanyahu supporting the Gaza peace plan.
Background
Several weeks ago, Trump said the “Board of Peace” had reached an agreement with Hamas on the group’s disarmament and on transferring civilian and security control of Gaza to a new Palestinian government.
Netanyahu subsequently rejected the initiative, saying Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza only after Hamas had been genuinely, rather than formally, eliminated.
