DOHA: Hamas officials want amendments to clauses in US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan including on disarmament, a Palestinian source close to the group’s leadership told AFP on Wednesday.
Hamas negotiators held discussions Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters and adding that the group needed “two or three days at most” to respond.
Trump’s plan, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, the group’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
But the Palestinian source said: “Hamas wants to amend some of the clauses such as the one on disarmament and the expulsion of Hamas and faction cadres.”
Hamas leaders also want “international guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip” and guarantees that no assassinations attempts will be made inside or outside the territory.
Trump says Hamas has ‘three or four days’ to respond to Gaza plan
Six people were killed in an Israeli attack last month on Hamas officials meeting in Doha to discuss an earlier ceasefire proposal.
The source said Hamas was also in touch with “other regional and Arab parties”, without giving details.
‘Clarification’
Another source familiar with the negotiations told AFP the Palestinian group was split over Trump’s plan.
“So far there are two views within Hamas: the first supports unconditional approval because the important thing is to have a ceasefire guaranteed by Trump, provided that the mediators guarantee Israel’s implementation of the plan,” the source said, also requesting anonymity.
But others have “great reservations on important clauses”, the source added. “They reject disarmament and for any Palestinian citizen to be taken away from Gaza.”
“They support a conditional agreement with clarifications that take into account demands by Hamas and the resistance factions so that the occupation of the Gaza Strip is not legitimised while the resistance is criminalised,” the source said.
“Some factions reject the plan, but discussions are ongoing and things will become clearer soon.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said parts of the Gaza plan required further “clarification” and talks, including Israel’s withdrawal from the strip.
“The issue of (Israeli) withdrawal, of course, requires some clarification and some work, and I believe this must be discussed in detail. This is primarily the duty of the Palestinian side, along with the Israeli side,” he said.
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