NYT: Hamas could retain personal arms under draft US Gaza peace proposal

The United States is preparing a draft plan that would require Hamas to surrender all weapons capable of striking Israel, while allowing the group to retain some small arms, at least initially, officials and sources familiar with the proposal told the New York Times. 

The document, expected to be shared with Hamas within weeks, is being developed by an American-led team including Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law; Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy for peace missions; and former UN official Nickolay Mladenov.

Officials emphasised that the plan remains in draft form and could change before presentation. If implemented, it would represent a major step toward demilitarising Hamas, a central component of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza that formed the basis of the ceasefire agreement following two years of war. Full disarmament would reduce Hamas’s monopoly on military power in the enclave, a critical breakthrough for regional stability.

A White House spokesperson, Dylan Johnson, stated that the U.S. is coordinating with all parties and mediators to ensure full implementation of the plan and to create a durable security framework to support Gaza’s reconstruction and long-term prosperity. It remains unclear who would assume custody of surrendered weapons or how the handover would be executed.

The draft plan builds on principles publicly discussed before. In January, Kushner outlined in Davos that Hamas’ “heavy weapons” would be decommissioned immediately, while personal firearms would be registered and phased out under a new Palestinian administration responsible for Gaza’s security. Israel has insisted that Hamas’s underground tunnel network, which shelters weapons, fighters, and hostages, also be neutralised.

Demilitarisation is considered the linchpin of all postwar efforts. Without it, Israel is unlikely to withdraw troops, and the planned steps—including deploying an international stabilisation force, large-scale reconstruction, and administration by a technocratic Palestinian committee—could fail. Shira Efron of RAND warned that failure could leave Gaza split between Israeli and Hamas control or trigger renewed war.

Hamas has not publicly agreed to disarm, and discussions have caused internal tensions. Senior Hamas official Khaled Meshal suggested the group intends to retain weapons but would not likely use them in the near term. “As long as there’s an occupation, there’s resistance,” he said, while also indicating Gazans are unlikely to resume armed conflict against Israel for 10–15 years.

The plan envisions a phased, multi-month process. Netanyahu has said Hamas still controls around 60,000 Kalashnikov rifles, and Israeli officials note that over half of Gaza’s underground tunnels remain intact. Without the disarmament of these weapons and tunnels, the Trump administration’s postwar plans for governance, reconstruction, and security in Gaza may be severely constrained.

By Tamilla Hasanova