Hamas rejects disarmament under Trump’s Gaza peace plan, calls it ‘out of the question’

Hamas official says disarmament 'out of the question'

Hamas has said that disarmament, proposed as part of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, is “out of the question,” a Hamas official told AFP. This comes after President Trump announced that Hamas will begin releasing Israeli hostages on Monday under a US-brokered ceasefire, which also includes returning the bodies of those who died in captivity.

"The proposed weapons handover is out of the question and not negotiable," the official said.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that the question of Hamas surrendering its weapons will be addressed in the second phase of the Gaza peace plan.

Meanwhile, Israel has begun transferring prisoners to two facilities ahead of their release as part of the ceasefire agreement aimed at securing the return of hostages held by Hamas, the country’s prison service said on Saturday.

“Thousands of staff, including prison officers, operated throughout the night in order to implement the government's decision: 'The framework for the release of all Israeli hostages',” the statement read.

As part of the truce, Israel is expected to release 250 prisoners, including several serving life sentences for deadly attacks. In return, Hamas has until Monday to hand over its 48 remaining Israeli captives, 20 alive and 28 deceased.