Two informed Palestinian sources said objections from Israel and the Iran-aligned Islamic Jihad could complicate efforts to implement the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire, particularly its disarmament provisions. But the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that pressure from the US and the mediators was likely to push the deal through. The ceasefire entered a new phase overnight on Thursday after Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye reached fresh understandings with Hamas and other Palestinian factions on arrangements for implementing the second phase. The deal was reached nearly a year ago, but implementation stalled after the outbreak of the “Iran war” and Israeli violations. Israeli resistance The new understandings amount to a draft that will be presented to Israel for approval before the second-phase roadmap can begin, the two Palestinian sources said. They expected Israel to resist any withdrawal from Gaza before elections. Islamic Jihad has also raised objections to the wording of the agreement and its disarmament provisions. One source said Israel’s position would prove more consequential because it was likely to demand disarmament before withdrawing. Islamic Jihad’s objections would be easier to resolve, the source said, because its military structure was neither large nor influential and did not compare with that of Hamas. Another Palestinian expert said the mediators and factions had put the ball in Israel’s court, leaving Washington responsible for pressing it to implement the understandings. Israel would probably be the only obstacle to advancing the ceasefire, he said, “but it will agree, even if only nominally.” The Board of Peace said on X on Friday that the proposed mechanisms included setting a timetable and implementation procedures for the second phase of the Gaza peace plan, to be implemented within 14 days of approval by all parties. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza would then enter the enclave, take control of police weapons and assume governing responsibilities as Israel halted military operations and withdrew fully, the council said. Factional weapons would be collected and stored under the committee’s authority according to an agreed timetable, alongside a gradual Israeli withdrawal. Hamas sets conditions Hamas said it and other Palestinian factions had dealt “responsibly and positively” with the negotiations and the mediators’ proposals for completing the second phase. It said Israel must first stop the killings and attacks before the parties could begin implementing the deal and setting a framework and timetable for the agreed measures. The second phase, Hamas said, remained conditional on Israel carrying out all provisions of the first. The group said it had agreed to include heavy weapons in the agreement only on condition that all forms of aggression end and Israel withdraw from Gaza. Its conditions also included early recovery efforts, the entry of the administrative committee, the deployment of international protection forces and the dismantling of armed gangs and militias established by Israel. Hamas also called for reconstruction, guarantees of the right to self-determination, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, and protection of citizens’ rights. The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza welcomed the development and said it was fully prepared to assume its responsibilities. It said it had spent recent months making extensive institutional and operational preparations to administer Gaza, restore essential public services, strengthen the rule of law, facilitate humanitarian aid, and lead recovery and reconstruction efforts. Israel has yet to officially comment on the announcement, but a political source told AFP "that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever" from Israeli forces' current lines "unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament.” Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's high representative for Gaza, said Friday the deal "took months of very difficult negotiations.” "What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real," Mladenov wrote on X. "Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning." An informed Egyptian source said Cairo would soon host a meeting involving Egypt, the United States, Qatar, and Türkiye to reaffirm the parties’ commitment to the agreement. Under the deal, the National Committee would oversee a gradual, sequential process for identifying and storing weapons, the source said. That process would begin only after the committee entered Gaza and the International Stabilization Force was deployed, the source added. Palestinian political analyst Ayman al-Raqab said the mediators and factions had completed their task, leaving Israel cornered and unable to reject the agreement openly while Washington was seeking to close the file. He expected Israel to remain the main obstacle by raising objections over withdrawal and returning to political maneuvering. Israel could offer conditional approval, he said, sending the parties back into the same cycle without producing progress. “The devil is in the details and the implementation,” al-Raqab said. He said the next Cairo meeting would be crucial in pressing for implementation, backed by strong US pressure on Israel to begin carrying out the roadmap and the new understandings.
