Israel has approved the entry of an American company working on behalf of the Board of Peace into the Gaza Strip in the coming days to identify and map locations where Hamas members could surrender their weapons for destruction, according to a report published Sunday evening by Kan News. The initiative is intended to advance a key stage of US President Donald Trump's peace plan, which calls for Hamas to relinquish its weapons and for the Gaza Strip to be demilitarized.
According to the report, the American team is expected to begin its work in southern Gaza, focusing on Rafah and Khan Yunis, areas currently under Israeli control. Once inside the Strip, the team will conduct field surveys to identify locations where armed Palestinians could surrender their weapons.
One of the main issues under consideration is how to ensure the safe passage of armed Hamas members to the designated sites, potentially with some form of security provided by the IDF. However, the mechanism for surrendering weapons has not yet been finalized, and arrangements have not been established for allowing armed individuals to travel through Gaza without posing a threat to Israeli forces.
Under the Board of Peace's plan, Hamas's surrender of its weapons is supposed to precede Israel's gradual withdrawal from the Strip. Israel would begin withdrawing from areas only after they had been cleared of terrorists, with those areas subsequently transferred to the administration of a technocratic government.
Despite the preparations, Israel's security establishment remains pessimistic about the prospects for the plan's success. A senior security official stated that the Americans are exerting heavy pressure on Israel to move forward with its implementation. According to the official, although Hamas has publicly declared its intention to give up its weapons, the terrorist organization is continuing to rebuild its military capabilities in the Gaza Strip.