Hamas urges US to press Israel on Gaza plan as Israeli officials voice skepticism
Hamas announced on Saturday that it remains ready to implement the next stage of the US-backed roadmap for Gaza, urging Washington to compel Israel to execute the plan. At the same time, Israeli officials have warned that Hamas may use the diplomatic process to prevent the Israeli military from returning to operations. A Hamas official told AFP that the group and other factions have informed mediators of their readiness to begin implementing the agreement and enter the second phase, provided Israel endorses it and starts fulfilling its obligations. The unnamed official added that Hamas wants the Trump administration to pressure Israel into adhering to the deal. Under the Peace Board plan, Hamas forces are required to surrender their weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing committee in Gaza. Trump stated last week that Hamas had agreed to disarm. In return, the Peace Board said Israel would withdraw in phases from large parts of Gaza. However, Nickolay Mladenov, the Peace Board high representative for Gaza affairs, said after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an Israeli withdrawal would only take place after Hamas has fully disarmed. The Prime Minister's Office also stated that Netanyahu has not agreed to the terms of the disarmament plan as accepted by Hamas last week. According to Israel Hayom, Brigadier General Ofir Mizrahi-Rosen, head of research for the Israel Defense Forces military intelligence directorate, said Hamas has not abandoned its goal of destroying Israel despite accepting the 15-point plan. He added that Hamas appears to be trying to shift the decision-making responsibility onto Israel and warned that the deployment of foreign forces from hostile countries, including Turkey and Qatar, near Israeli border towns could internationalize the conflict. Shin Bet chief David Zini has reportedly said that Hamas views the agreement as a process of strategic deception to buy time and prevent Israel from returning to military operations in Gaza ahead of the 27 October elections. He described the process as a strategic Hamas ambush, telling Ynet that Hamas views the signing of the roadmap as a kind of diplomatic 7 October and equivalent to the military success of the 2023 attack. Israel Hayom reported that Israeli National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben-Ezra has submitted a list of requested amendments to the US. According to him, the current provisions of the plan contradict understandings that Netanyahu claimed were reached with Washington in November 2025, although the details of those understandings remain unclear. That same month, Netanyahu welcomed the UN's approval of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza, which mandates Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal. Minister Ze'ev Elkin has called for the resumption of Israeli offensive operations in Gaza, saying that a two-week halt in operations would mean accepting and entering the plan's implementation process. According to Israel Hayom, Bezalel Smotrich, Orit Strock and Avi Dichter have supported issuing an official stance against the 15-point plan. Smotrich told Netanyahu that now an official document exists, it can no longer be managed through political maneuvering. The Israeli military stated it is continuing its strikes against Hamas. Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in its 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel. Despite ongoing operations, the intensity of Israeli strikes has decreased in recent days. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported on Saturday that three people were wounded by Israeli military gunfire. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says 1,257 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations since October of last year following the Trump-backed ceasefire agreement. The Israeli military has reported the deaths of five of its soldiers over the same period.