Enforcement Mechanisms and the Possibility of Returning to Fighting: The Fine Print in the Agreement

Senior officials involved in the talks emphasize that the plan to disarm Hamas does not rely on trust in the organization, but on enforcement mechanisms and conditionality between Israeli steps and Hamas steps. Hamas is expected to hand over heavy and light weapons, tunnels, and maps, while Israel will retain the option to resume fighting in case of violations. The arrangement will include enforcement mechanisms, and the weapons will be stored in warehouses under the control of NCAG and ISF, with a decommissioning process. The officials assess that this is a historic achievement for Netanyahu and Trump.

Senior officials involved in the talks emphasize that the plan to disarm Hamas does not rely on trust in the terrorist organization, but on enforcement mechanisms and conditionality between Israeli steps and Hamas steps. Under the emerging arrangement, Hamas is expected to hand over its heavy and light weapons, tunnels, and maps, while Israel will retain the option to resume fighting in case of violations by the organization. The transferred weapons will be stored in warehouses under the control of NCAG and ISF, where a decommissioning process will take place, meaning the operational disabling of the weapons. The officials assess that some of the messages coming from Hamas are intended to reduce the sense of public humiliation. The plan reflects, in their view, that the Israeli pressure led by the prime minister's steadfast policy has proven its effectiveness. If the move is completed, it would be an exceptional precedent: a jihadist organization agreeing to hand over its weapons within a political and security arrangement. The officials call it a historic achievement for Netanyahu and Trump, and a strategic, not tactical, victory.