US President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that the Palestinian militant group Hamas would voluntarily give up its weapons. The militants had announced only a few hours earlier that they did not plan to do so. TASR writes about it according to the AFP agency and the Times of Israel portal.
“Many people say they will never give up their guns. But it looks like they will.” Trump said at a meeting of his cabinet. He praised the cooperation with the Hamas movement after the Israeli army transported to the homeland the remains of the last hostage held in the Gaza Strip, Ran Gvili.
US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff also insisted on the disarmament of Hamas during the meeting. “They will do it because they have no choice. They will give up their AK-47s,” he declared. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz suggested on Wednesday that the militants could get rid of their weapons through an international buy-back program. In exchange, they could receive funds, amnesty or jobs.
Disarming Hamas is a key part of the second phase of the US peace plan. It also envisages the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the taking over of civil administration over this territory by the Palestinian technocratic committee. Reconstruction of devastated cities should also begin. The US listed Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 1997.
This means a ban on funding and material support from the US, the freezing of its assets under US jurisdiction, and the criminalization of cooperation or support of the organization. Hamas has also included the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel on the list of terrorist organizations.
