Hamas agrees to disarm – Al Arabiya

A statement from the organization later denied “fabricated claims” reported in media

Hamas has agreed to implement US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including disarmament, Al Arabiya wrote on Sunday, citing sources from within the group. It has already started collecting the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages, according to the report.

The movement has also requested a halt to aerial bombardment in specific areas in order to carry out hostage retrieval. According to the source, the handover of living hostages will take place in a single phase, while the handover of the bodies will take more time.

Hamas has reportedly received guarantees from the US stipulating a permanent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The source confirmed that the movement has agreed to hand over weapons to a Palestinian-Egyptian body under international supervision and has informed Washington.

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The US also guaranteed that Hamas officials in Gaza “will not be harmed,” according to Al Arabiya. Whether they will leave the enclave is unknown.

Later on Sunday an official Hamas statement denied “fabricated claims” made by media. “What was published is baseless and aims to distort the position and confuse public opinion,” it said.

Trump has called on West Jerusalem to halt air strikes in the enclave, and proposed that Hamas release all remaining hostages within 72 hours of Israel suspending military operations and withdrawing troops “to the agreed-upon line.” He warned the Palestinian armed group to act swiftly.

After the swaps, an apolitical, Hamas-free transitional government will be established in Gaza, which is intended to become “a deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”