President [Name] and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated on Thursday that they believe Hamas will disarm under a U.S.-backed Gaza ceasefire plan as it enters its second phase.
However, as regional analysts cautioned that the terror group has no intention of disarming and could ultimately block Trump’s Gaza plan, Hamas officials also disputed Trump’s claim.
During his 10th Cabinet meeting of his second term, Trump expressed confidence that the Palestinian Islamist militant group would lay down their arms.
“And now we aim to have Hamas, no guns, correct? To disarm,” Trump said, then adding, “Many have said they’ll never disarm. It seems they’re going to disarm.”
Witkoff echoed Trump’s view and told the president the process was already in motion.
“We’ve removed the terrorists from there, and they will demilitarize. They have to, as they have no choice,” Witkoff said. “They’ll surrender it. They’ll give up the AK-47s.”
Regional analysts warned that the terror group has no intention of disarming and might even entirely obstruct Trump’s Gaza plan.
National security analyst Kobi Michael said Hamas “has no intention of disarming itself and never has.”
“Hamas will engage in maneuvers and manipulations to maintain its power and influence in the Gaza Strip,” [Name], a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told [Outlet] Digital.
He added that “they don’t truly communicate with one another and don’t really understand each other,” indicating rifts between the two sides.
“The Israel Defense Forces are the sole entity capable of disarming Hamas,” Michael said, noting that “no nation other than Turkey is willing to deploy its troops to [Location] to combat Hamas,” referring to the planned U.N.-authorized force tasked with overseeing security and demilitarization in Gaza.
Senior Hamas officials directly contradicted the White House’s account on Thursday, as per [Outlet].
Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk stated that the group “never agreed to disarm; no one has directly brought it up with us,” emphasizing that Hamas remains firmly in control of Gaza.
The outlet also reported that Abu Marzouk suggested Hamas holds a de facto veto over appointments to a newly established [Body] in the Strip.
The committee, unveiled as part of [the] Gaza peace plan, is meant to oversee Gaza’s civilian affairs and manage reconstruction once the ceasefire stabilizes.
Witkoff said, “We are now in the second phase… we have established, for the first time, Mr. President, on your behalf, a technocratic, all-Arab government.”
The body is projected to deliver basic services to Gaza’s over 2 million residents, even as the United Nations estimates reconstruction costs will surpass $50 billion.
But Michael cautioned that the new structure is susceptible to Hamas manipulation, with the group likely to take advantage of any new arrangement.
“They will utilize the existing bureaucracy, which will be run by the technocrats, to control and influence how this government will function in practice — the Hezbollah model,” he said.
He added that Hamas has already “requested more time, Israeli troop withdrawals, and immediate reconstruction while discreetly maintaining its military capabilities.”
“Trump may come to the conclusion that only the Israel Defense Forces can disarm Hamas,” Michael said. “At that point, it will become evident that Hamas is the ultimate spoiler and a significant obstacle to Trump’s Gaza plan.”
[Outlet] Digital has contacted the White House for comment.