Source in the Peace Council to N12 After the Publication of the Plan: "Hamas Has No Way to Escape"

By Tomer Almagor

Two day after the Peace Council published its "Roadmap" for implementing President Trump's peace plan for Gaza, many questions still remain unanswered. However, in a conversation with N12, an official source in the Peace Council shed some light on the plan, saying: "Hamas has no way to escape. They have committed to the concept of full disarmament. They have acknowledged they've agreed. They can spin it however they want, but the agreement is public, and now it'll be a tough implementation".

Hamas's and Israel's Next Steps

According to the source and the text published on X, the plan does not include any new commitments for Israel. Israel's commitment to cease its military operations and withdraw (initially to the Yellow Line, followed by additional withdrawals) was already included in Trump's 20-point peace plan.

However, the new plan clarifies the sequence of actions that will require Israel to take those two steps.

A Peace Council official explained that, in order to move the process forward and bring to an Israeli withdrawal: "Hamas has to undertake a range of very significant steps that, you know, essentially lead to a Gaza that is completely different than it is today. There are commitments for Israel, but they're all built on Hamas doing a lot of things up front and first."

According to the official, Israel will only be required to halt its military operations after an international monitoring committee is established and determines that Hamas has indeed ceased all military activity, including recruiting operatives and rearming. " It will be assessed in a short amount of time," the official said.

Weapons Storage Instead of Full Disarmament

The plan states that the process of storing heavy weapons will begin after the technocrats' committee takes office and the International Stabilization Force (ISF) is deployed. The issue of small arms, which has been a central point of negotiations between Hamas and the Peace Council in recent months, will be governed under Palestinian law.

The official Peace Council source who spoke with N12 clarified that the technocrats committee, not Hamas, will be the sole entity with control over both light and heavy weapons.

According to the official, the weapons will remain stored inside the Gaza Strip under continuous supervision by the technocrats' committee and the international force.

The Peace Council estimates that Hamas's weapons storage process will be lengthy, taking approximately 200 to 350 days.

The Pilot Program Expected to Continue Advancing

Last month, N12 reported on a pilot program being promoted by the Peace Council in Gaza, under which Gazan civilians would be able to relocate to areas of the Strip outside Hamas's control. According to the plan, tens of thousands of Gazans would move into these areas, where improved humanitarian conditions would be established before the coming winter.

The Peace Council source who spoke with N12 clarified that preparations for the pilot program continue in parallel with the processes discussed in the roadmap. "We have the opportunity to accelerate things now. The plan still goes forward," the official said.

According to the source, Israel may eventually be asked to withdraw back to the original Yellow Line – that is, from territories occupied since the October ceasefire – in accordance with progress in the weapons storage program. "It's not explicitly stipulated in the roadmap, but what we do talk about is a sector by sector approach whereby certain areas would become verified as free of weapons, free of terror infrastructure. And those are areas that, in theory, you would see Israel withdraw from."

The Palestinian Police Force

Section 7 of the plan published Saturday details the training of a new police force that will undergo comprehensive vetting and operate under the authority of the technocrats' committee.

The Peace Council official speaking to N12 revealed that Morocco is expected to play a central role in training the new police force, while the training itself will take place in Egypt. According to the official, the force is still far from being ready to take an active part in policing Gaza.