CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) — Hamas would be required to allow the destruction of its vast Gaza tunnel network as it lays down its arms in stages under a disarmament plan that was presented to the terror group by US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, and viewed by Reuters.

The plan follows an eight-month timeline that begins with a US-backed committee of Palestinian technocrats taking security control of Gaza and concludes with Israeli forces withdrawing completely upon “verification that Gaza is free of weaponry.”

Hamas’s disarmament is a critical sticking point in talks to implement Trump’s plan for Gaza and cement an October 2025 ceasefire that halted two years of full-blown war, triggered by the terror group’s invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas has long rejected calls to lay down its weapons, which are believed to have largely been transported and stored in tunnels under Gaza.

‘One authority, one law, one weapon’

The plan’s full text, which was first reported by Al Jazeera, was shared with Reuters by two Palestinian officials involved in the talks. A Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. The Board of Peace presented the plan to Hamas last week. Hamas has not commented publicly on it.

The plan includes two components: a 12-point document titled “Steps to Complete the Implementation of Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza,” and a five-stage timeline during which Hamas would surrender its arms over eight months.

The document says that all armed factions in Gaza, including terror groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, will participate in a disarmament process that will be overseen by the Palestinian technocrats, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“Gaza will be governed under the principle of one authority, one law,........

© The Times of Israel