Hamas has agreed to “freeze the use of weapons” but not to hand them over, according to the new ceasefire deal in Gaza mediated by the United States, said Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt’s State Information Service.
Amid widespread international anticipation for the agreement—which marks the first phase of a ceasefire plan in Gaza and a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas—the U.S.-brokered deal officially came into effect on Thursday.
Rashwan explained in an appearance on Al Arabiya Wednesday evening that the freeze is part of a ceasefire proposal previously presented by Hamas to Israel, which would last between five and ten years.
He clarified that Hamas’s weapons will not be surrendered to Israel or any non-Arab entity.
The agreement does not specify who will oversee the process but refers to an independent committee, which could be Egyptian, Egyptian-Arab, or Egyptian-Arab-Palestinian.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, “there will be a process of demilitarization of Gaza under the supervision of independent monitors, which will include permanently putting weapons out of use through an agreed dismantling process, supported by an internationally funded program for buyback and reintegration, verified by independent observers.”
Rashwan added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had aimed to destroy Hamas’s military capabilities during the war in Gaza but failed to achieve that goal.
He said Netanyahu now seeks a “theatrical scene” to showcase disarmament through the ongoing agreement after two years of war.
