Key mediators help Hamas draft response to Trump's Gaza plan

Sources say Hamas will not disarm, wants timetable for Israel's withdrawal and rejects 'international mandate'

Regional mediators, including Egypt and Turkey, are helping Hamas to draft a response to US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, sources told The National on Wednesday.

President Trump said on Tuesday that Hamas had three or four days to respond to his plan or face the consequences. “Hamas is either going to be doing it or not, and if it's not, it's going to be a very sad end,” he told reporters.

The sources said neither Egypt nor Turkey were pressuring Hamas to accept the plan, for which, according to Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, there is no alternative on the table.

Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying for months without success to broker a Gaza ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Turkey has also been mediating in the conflict, albeit in a much less publicised role.

“We submitted remarks, some of which were taken into consideration while others were not,” the Qatari Prime Minister told Al Jazeera in an interview.

“In general, when we talk about the main goals, there are objectives the plan can achieve, and others that need more clarity, discussion and negotiation. What we are looking at now is: what are the alternatives?

“After receiving the plan from President Trump, we handed it over to Hamas. Our discussions were general, without going into details, but we hope everyone approaches this matter constructively and takes advantage of this momentum to end the war in Gaza,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Qatar's Prime Minister. Anadolu.

The sources, however, said Hamas has made it clear in discussions with mediators that it is not prepared to surrender its arms but is open to laying them down and having them stored under Arab supervision.

Hamas is also objecting to what its leaders see as the absence from the plan of a timetable for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, according to the sources.

Hamas leaders are also opposed to what they view as placing postwar Gaza under an international mandate through the deployment of an international force to maintain security in the territory and a body led by President Trump himself to oversee the implementation of the plan, including reconstruction.

The Qatari Prime Minister acknowledged in his interview that the plan's implementation faces many challenges, but also indicated the roadmap's upside.

“We must look at the opportunities. For example, we all agreed on ending the war, preventing displacement, ensuring Israeli withdrawal, and that Palestinians will govern their own land,” he said.

The plan has been welcomed in principle by key Arab nations, including Egypt and Qatar. Egypt, which borders Gaza and Israel, has said the plan provides strong foundations that could be built on.

No to Blair

US President Donald Trump at the White House. Politico/Bloomberg

Mr Trump's plan, whose text was released by the White House on Monday, provides for a ceasefire, the release of hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails in exchange for the 48 hostages held by Hamas – only 20 of whom are believed to be alive, the flow of humanitarian aid, and an amnesty for Hamas leaders wishing to disassociate themselves from violence and to leave Gaza.

Significantly, the plan does not provide for the removal of Palestinians, voluntarily or otherwise, from Gaza, something that was floated by President Trump in January and zealously embraced by Israel since. It prohibits Israel from occupying or annexing the territory.

It embraces the principle of a two-state solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but without giving a timeline for the creation of an independent Palestinian state or specifying its territory.

It also bars Israel from annexing the occupied West Bank, a move that extremist members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have been clamouring for in recent months.

Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza. Reuters

On Wednesday, a Hamas official and a source close to the group said former British prime minister Tony Blair is not welcome to take part in any future governance of Gaza.

Mr Blair has been identified as a member of a “peace board” and would occupy a senior role in the administration of Gaza after the war under the Trump plan. Those with knowledge of the plan say the role would be more like chairman of a board than direct administrator.

“Blair is not welcome in the Palestinian context, and linking any plan to his name sends a negative signal to the Palestinian people,” the Hamas official told The National.

“Blair is a negative figure and deserves to have his name brought before international courts for his actions, especially his role in the Iraq war,” the official added.

A Palestinian political source close to Hamas said “there is no Palestinian consensus or agreement so far on the appointment of Blair, and as Palestinians we reject any guardianship imposed on Gaza”.

They added: “We do not accept the appointment of Blair, especially given his past role and position regarding the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.”