Hamas leaders in Doha ‘told to give up personal weapons'
Hamas said on Wednesday that the group was studying a new ceasefire offer after President Trump said Israel had already agreed to a 60-day cessation of hostilities and the possible release of hostages while the two sides discuss a potential permanent truce.
'We are holding discussions to reach an agreement that will ensure the end of aggressions, the withdrawal of forces and granting aid to the people of Gaza,' a statement by the group read.
The most senior Hamas leaders outside Gaza, including the lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya and other key figures, have been instructed by Qatari mediators to turn in their personal weapons, The Times has learnt.
Among those told to hand over their guns are the Hamas political bureau members Zaher Jabareen, a founder of the group's military wing in the West Bank, and Muhammad Ismail Darwish, who met the leaders of Iran and Turkey this year while shuttling between Cairo and Doha for indirect negotiations with Israel.
The move is seen as symbolic as Israel has demanded the total disarmament of Hamas and that its remaining leaders in Gaza leave the territory as a condition to ending the war.
As Israel's army advanced further towards taking full control of Gaza, Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, reiterated that Hamas must be fully destroyed to complete the war, saying 'Hamas will be no more'.
'We shall completely destroy them,' he said at a visit to an Israeli oil pipeline. 'We will release all the hostages, together with the destruction of Hamas. Contrary to what is said, these are not conflicting objectives.'
Trump said on Tuesday that he hoped at least a temporary ceasefire could be declared as early as next week, when he is due to meet Netanyahu at the White House. Ron Dermer, an Israeli minister, had met Steve Witkoff, the US president's Middle East envoy, earlier in the day.
In response Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said Israel was 'serious' about bringing home the 50 hostages, both alive and dead, who are still held by Hamas, and about reaching a deal to end the war.
'We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. We said yes to US special envoy Witkoff's proposals. There are some positive signs. I don't want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,' Sa'ar said.
Citing an Israeli defence official and a Palestinian close to Hamas, the New York Times reported that the deal would involve the release of ten of the remaining living hostages and the return of 18 bodies still held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The release of the hostages and the return of the bodies would be staggered, with five groups over the 60-day period, the report added.
However, Israeli negotiators have not yet been dispatched to Doha or Cairo, the usual sign that talks are under way.
Although Hamas figures have been informally asked to leave Doha on two occasions, the country has hosted the group's political bureau since 2012. While Qatar is applying pressure to the negotiators in Doha, the final decision to sign off any deal lies with Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas leader in Gaza.
An Egyptian plan endorsed by Arab states last year stopped short of calling for Hamas to put down their weapons, but proposed alternatives to Islamist rule in the territory.
The group, which is designated a terror group by the US and the UK, started the present war by invading Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacring some 1,200 civilians and soldiers alike and taking more than 200 hostages. It is under pressure to accept a truce, with much of Gaza's civilian population homeless and starving.
The majority of the strip is under Israeli control or subject to broad evacuation and displacement orders, as is the case in Gaza City where Israel's present operations are focused. The war has displaced almost all of Gaza's population as the humanitarian crisis deepens and the death toll climbs to more than 57,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. On Wednesday Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the strip, including Dr Marwan al-Sultan, a hospital director, and members of his family.
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