Gaza Board of Peace 'influenced by Qatar and Turkey'

Israel is slowing its military operations in Gaza while publicly maintaining that any diplomatic framework must prevent Hamas from controlling its own disarmament, according to senior former Israeli security officials.

These officials assert that Hamas's stated acceptance of the Board of Peace's 15-point roadmap is strategically designed to preserve both its weapons and territorial control. Col. (ret.) Amit Assa, a former senior Shin Bet official, told JNS that the Board of Peace, established by President Donald Trump, is structurally compromised. "The Board of Peace, as it was established by Trump, already constitutes a problem for Israel. It's ostensibly meant to be an objective body, but in practice it isn't. Those actually driving developments there are Qatar and Turkey, Erdogan, of course, assisted by the Egyptians. For us, this means the Muslim Brotherhood," Assa said.

Assa argued the structure serves as cover for preserving Hamas rather than dismantling it and contended that disarmament must mean complete removal of weapons and dismantling of the organization. "To disarm Hamas of its weapons doesn't mean leaving heavy or light weapons in Hamas's possession," He said. He warned against any arrangement retaining a Hamas-linked administrative structure, stating that "Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization that cannot continue to exist after Oct. 7."

Assa compared the approach to past failures, noting Israel's experience with international organizations. "We know from our own experience that every time we handed responsibility to an international organization, like the U.N. or other organizations on other borders of ours...our enemy eventually just entrenched itself there."

Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff, argued Israel should pursue full military occupation and Israeli administration of Gaza rather than negotiated arrangements. "The campaign objective of the military in Gaza needs to be the occupation of Gaza and the imposition of military and civilian government - in one phrase, Germany 1945," Dayan said. He contended that without sustained control, "even if you dismantle Hamas A, there will be a Hamas B and a Hamas C."

Regarding Hamas's proposal to place weapons under Palestinian supervision, Dayan dismissed it, stating: "The point is demilitarization, not placing weapons somewhere so someone else can pick them up later." He proposed tying IDF rules of engagement to verified territorial disarmament conducted neighborhood by neighborhood.

Hamas foreign leadership member Ghazi Hamad told Arab media that heavy weaponry would be stored under Palestinian administration, explicitly rejecting Israeli enforcement involvement. Gaza Envelope residents issued demands that disarmament be conducted solely by Israel, that no IDF withdrawal occur before disarmament is complete, and that any withdrawal be limited to specific strategic lines. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated Israel demands "the full disarmament of Hamas, including removal of the weaponry from Gaza and the complete demilitarization of the Strip."