Trump, Netanyahu: Hamas Must Disarm for Peace Plan to Move Forward

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump has been “unequivocal” that Hamas must fully disarm as a non-negotiable condition for advancing Trump’s proposed 20-point peace plan.

“This is a necessary and fundamental condition for the implementation of his 20-point plan. He made no concessions on this and showed no flexibility on this matter,” Netanyahu told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu said his recent visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida strengthened both the bilateral relationship between Israel and the United States and the personal bond between the two leaders. During that visit, Trump warned that Hamas would be given only a “very short period of time” to demilitarize or face severe consequences, while expressing a desire to move to the next phase of negotiations “as quickly as we can.”

Speaking to Fox News last week, Netanyahu said progress toward stabilizing Gaza in 2026 hinges entirely on Hamas laying down its weapons. He described the terrorist group’s refusal to disarm as the central obstacle to any political future for the territory.

“If we disarm Hamas, whether with an international force or by any other means, a different future for Gaza is possible,” Netanyahu said. “If it can be done the easy way, fine. And if not, it’ll be done another way.”

According to Netanyahu, Hamas still fields roughly 20,000 operatives and possesses around 60,000 rifles, in addition to an extensive underground tunnel network stretching hundreds of kilometers beneath Gaza. “That’s what disarmament means,” he said. “You take away the rifles and you dismantle the terror tunnels.”

Hamas leadership has repeatedly rejected such demands. Senior Hamas figure Khaled Mashaal reiterated last month that the group would never surrender its weapons, declaring at an anti-Israel summit in Turkey that “the resistance and its weapons are the honor and pride of the ummah.”

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday it carried out a precise strike on a Hamas tunnel shaft in northern Gaza containing a rocket launcher aimed at the Israeli city of Sderot, calling the incident a “blatant” violation of the ceasefire.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also accused Hamas of daily ceasefire violations, citing the group’s continued refusal to return the remains of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage from the Oct. 7 massacre. Hamas was obligated under the ceasefire agreement to return all hostage remains by Oct. 13.

Israeli media reports indicate that Israel and the United States have reached an understanding to issue Hamas a firm two-month ultimatum to fully disarm. The deadline is being described as fixed rather than a basis for further negotiations, with Israeli and U.S. teams already working to define what constitutes “practical disarmament.” A key component of the plan is the complete dismantling of Hamas’s tunnel network, long considered the backbone of its military capabilities.

Israeli officials quoted by Israel Hayom expressed deep skepticism that Hamas would willingly relinquish its weapons within the allotted timeframe, noting that for the group’s leadership, full disarmament would effectively mark the end of Hamas rule in Gaza — precisely the outcome envisioned by the U.S.-Israeli plan.

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