Will Hamas disarm? Who rules Gaza? Key questions remain

WITHOUT A CLEAR DISARMAMENT PLAN, PEACE MAY PROVE SHORT-LIVED

- BY STEPHEN N.R.

The signing of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, brokered by US President Donald Trump, marks a dramatic moment in the two-year conflict — but, the hardest part may still lie ahead.

Beneath the celebrations in Gaza, Cairo and Jerusalem, the road toward disarmament, governance and reconstruction is fraught with uncertainty.

One of the most contentious unresolved issues is Israel’s insistence that a weakened Hamas must completely disarm. According to reports, Hamas refuses, demanding instead that Israel withdraw all its troops from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Gaza will be “demilitarised,” promising that if Hamas will not disarm “the easy way,” Israel will ensure it happens “the hard way.”

Israel pulls back, but ...

For now, Israel has pulled back from Gaza City and Khan Younis, but still controls roughly half the enclave, including parts of Rafah, northern towns, and a wide security belt along the Israeli border.