MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Despite the optimistic messaging of the Trump administration regarding its Gaza peace plan, moving the process to the next phase faces a slew of serious obstacles. The disarmament of Hamas, a key aspect of the 20-point plan, stands as perhaps the greatest challenge to overcome.

Armed resistance against Israel is a fundamental aspect of Hamas’s ideology, which is a large part of the reason the group has not agreed to disarm. Hamas recently signaled that it could be open to freezing or storing its arms, but Israel will not be satisfied with anything short of complete disarmament.

Despite the optimistic messaging of the Trump administration regarding its Gaza peace plan, moving the process to the next phase faces a slew of serious obstacles. The disarmament of Hamas, a key aspect of the 20-point plan, stands as perhaps the greatest challenge to overcome.

Armed resistance against Israel is a fundamental aspect of Hamas’s ideology, which is a large part of the reason the group has not agreed to disarm. Hamas recently signaled that it could be open to freezing or storing its arms, but Israel will not be satisfied with anything short of complete disarmament.

“The notion that Hamas can ‘freeze or store’ its weapons is pure fiction and a nonstarter. Hamas must and will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized, as outlined in the 20-point plan. Israel is committed to the Trump plan and has upheld its side from the beginning of the cease-fire. Israel will ensure our border is secure and Gaza does not pose a threat to the Jewish state,” an Israeli government official told Foreign Policy.

The impasse over disarmament helps explain why many countries—particularly Arab states—are not rushing to commit personnel to a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF). Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, the ISF would handle security in Gaza and oversee the disarmament process. The ISF is meant to work in conjunction with a Board of Peace, which will supervise and support a transitional technocratic committee that will manage day-to-day governance in Gaza. The board’s membership, which Trump said will be “legendary,” is expected to be announced in early 2026. But even after the board is in place, there are many tough realities to overcome on the ground in Gaza—and disarming Hamas is at the top of the list.

“Unless there’s a successful mechanism to get Hamas to lay down their arms, to hand them over, to allow weapons and tunnels to be decommissioned, and even for Hamas fighters and remaining leaders to leave and go into exile, which is one of the points in the Trump plan, it’s very difficult to imagine security forces from these Arab and Muslim states coming in to play the part........

© Foreign Policy