Ceasefire mediators presented Hamas this month with a sweeping disarmament proposal that would see all armed groups in Gaza gradually hand over their weapons over the coming months, beginning with heavy weaponry and maps of the terror group’s vast tunnel network, two Arab diplomats familiar with the matter told the Times of Israel.

Under the framework, Hamas would be required within 90 days to surrender its missiles, rocket launchers, and other heavy arms, along with detailed maps of the tunnel system that runs beneath the Strip. A separate buy-back program would offer jobs and cash payments to fighters who agree to turn in personal weapons — a process expected to stretch well beyond the initial three-month timeline.

Hamas negotiators have signaled some willingness to part with heavy weaponry in talks with Arab mediators, but have drawn a firm line at lighter arms, arguing they are needed for self-defense. The mediating countries — the United States, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt — had themselves concluded that Israel’s original demand for an all-at-once disarmament was unrealistic, pushing instead for the phased approach.

Israel was aware of the proposal and did not formally object, though one of the Arab diplomats said Israeli officials believed Hamas would reject it outright. The same diplomat expressed doubt that Israel would ultimately agree to further troop withdrawals from Gaza even as the framework envisions the IDF being gradually phased out of areas where weapons have been cleared, replaced by Palestinian police and an International Stabilization Force.

The proposal envisions surrendered weapons being handed over to a newly forming Palestinian police force operating under the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the body being assembled to replace Hamas in governing the territory. The NCAG began recruiting for the force last month, allowing former Hamas civil servants to apply, though each applicant will require Israeli vetting, and those implicated in the October 7 attack may be denied immunity.

The handover is designed to proceed geographically, starting in southern Gaza and moving northward as areas are cleared.

The framework was presented to Hamas in Cairo meetings led by Nickolay Mladenov, the former UN diplomat tapped to implement President Donald Trump’s postwar Gaza plan, alongside Aryeh Lightstone, senior adviser to US special envoy Steve Witkoff. On Thursday, Mladenov confirmed that mediating countries had agreed on a framework that he said “can unlock reconstruction, breathe life into communities, and bring closer to unity and a negotiated resolution of the Palestinian question.” He added that executing on it “requires one clear choice: full decommissioning by Hamas and every armed group, with no exceptions and no carve-outs.”

Mediators are hoping Hamas responds within days, though one of the Arab diplomats predicted the group would return with a counteroffer, further prolonging the process.

That delay comes as Hamas appears to be tightening its grip on Gaza rather than loosening it. Gazans who spoke with the Times of Israel in recent days described a surge in the terror group’s visible presence across the Strip — enforcing price controls, managing the distribution of incoming goods, and appearing to intimidate residents who had previously spoken to international media by name but now insist on anonymity.

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