Discussions about the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza are making progress, according to a new report.
A diplomatic official familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that parties "continue to advance the implementation of the roadmap that offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities taking place to hand over full authority to the technocratic government."
The official went on to say that there will be "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people" and the process would also create a roadmap for the "elimination of all tunnels, depots of weapons, and any weapons production facilities."
Israel, the official said, will respond with reciprocal steps after Hamas makes them.
Another report, however, gave a more nuanced picture. TV channel Palestine Al-Youm, affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said an announcement is set to be made, but involves Hamas giving up its heavy weapons in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza and the end of strikes.
The agreement would see Hamas putting the weapons into storage, rather than destroying them. It is not clear who would be tasked with guarding the weapons. Light weapons are not mentioned in the report. Should that end up being the proposal, it would be unlikely for Israel to accept it as it has rejected similar, if not identical ones, in the past.
The potential developments come after Israel approved the entry of a multinational security force into the enclave.
Reuters detailed that the Israeli security cabinet approved the legal framework allowing the move, which will include 200 members from "friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco."
The outlet noted that Israel will approve the entry of every contingent, which will be deployed in areas the country does not control to implement the agreement. It is not clear when they will enter Gaza.
The implementation of the agreement that ended hostilities has stalled, and attention has largely shifted elsewhere as a result of the war in Iran.
Nickolay Mladenov, Trump's Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, celebrated the decision. ""It is a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilizing Gaza, supporting demilitarization, and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration," he said in a social media post.
