An Ultimatum to Hamas: Agree to Disarm by Week’s End

The terror group in the Gaza strip has—no surprise—been dragging their feet on the earlier agreement to disarm. It’s an early test for Trump’s Board of Peace.

I can’t believe we are still having this conversation.

Aaron Goren at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies: President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BOP) initiative, whose first task is overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, has reportedly given Hamas until the week’s end to accept a phased disarmament plan. The news quickly followed Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida’s statement on April 5. Obeida — going by the nom de guerre used by his eliminated predecessor — rejected disarmament as “something we will not accept under any circumstances.” … Hamas’s refusal to comply spells trouble for the ceasefire’s stability. Hamas’s opposition to the stipulation is also matched by steady attempts to rearm and reconstitute in Gaza, resulting in near-daily Israeli strikes across the enclave (FDD).

Hamas given until week’s end to accept disarmament proposal — sources

Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy Mladenov determined to advance Trump plan’s reconstruction phase, but Hamas and Israel unlikely to cooperate, diplomat from mediating country tells ToI

By: Jacob Magid, Times of Israel, 7 April 2026:

The Gaza Board of Peace has given Hamas until the end of the week to accept a disarmament proposal, with the US-led international body overseeing the postwar management of the Strip determined to advance its reconstruction even as the Iran war persists, three sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Monday.

The Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov met with a delegation of senior Hamas officials in Cairo on Friday, and the terror group has been informed that the Gaza oversight board wants a disarmament agreement finalized by the end of the week, two Arab diplomats and a third source said, confirming reporting in The New York Times on condition of anonymity.

The sources clarified that minor amendments to the disarmament proposal would still be considered, while requests for fundamental changes by Hamas would not be accepted.

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Mladenov is convinced that it is possible to move ahead with the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war, one of the Arab diplomats said, while acknowledging that Middle East mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey are not as optimistic.

The mediators are leaning hard on Hamas to accept the US-backed disarmament proposal, but the terror group is “unlikely to say ‘yes’ without significant caveats,” said the Arab diplomat, who is from one of the mediating countries.

“And even if they do, it’s unlikely that Israel will comply,” the diplomat added, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not authorize an additional pullback from Gaza during an election year, as his coalition partners continue backing maintaining a permanent Israeli presence in the Strip.

Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov addresses the UN Security Council on March 24, 2026. (Screen capture/YouTube)
At the Friday meeting in Cairo, Hamas officials refrained from outright rejecting the disarmament proposal, which Mladenov first presented to them last month, the Arab diplomat said.

Instead, they highlighted what they said has been Israel’s failure to adhere to the first phase of Trump’s plan, pointing to the limited operation of the Rafah Crossing, the low number of aid trucks that have gone into Gaza, the repeated IDF strikes deep inside Gaza and Jerusalem’s pushing of the Yellow Line ceasefire demarcator deeper into the Strip, thereby expanding the eastern portion of the territory controlled by Israel.

Israel took several months to reopen the Rafah Crossing after the October ceasefire. Even then, it has limited passengers to 50 in each direction and shut it back down for nearly the first three weeks of the Iran war. That latter conflict also has seen the daily aid truck count dip far below the 600 that are required under the ceasefire’s terms.

Israel has not denied carrying out strikes deep inside Gaza but says they are justified in targeting Hamas operatives violating the ceasefire.

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Mladenov has raised some of these issues with Israeli officials in recent days, the Arab diplomat said, noting that the aid truck numbers have begun climbing back up, while other alleged violations have remained unresolved.

The Board of Peace’s Gaza envoy is slated to hold a follow-up meeting with Hamas officials in Cairo on Tuesday, the Arab diplomat and a source familiar with the matter said.

Armed members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad greet people gathering for Eid al-Fitr prayers in Gaza City, March 20, 2026. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The Saturday deadline conveyed to Hamas in recent days came after the group dragged its feet in responding to the proposal it first received nearly four weeks ago.

That offer envisions the destruction of the group’s Gaza tunnel network along with the phased handover of its weapons.