WASHINGTON - A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday that U.S. officials believe disarmament by Hamas militants in Gaza would be accompanied by some form of amnesty for members of the Palestinian group. The comments coincided with Israeli confirmation that the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza have been identified and will be returned for burial.
The official framed disarmament as a component of a broader effort to redevelop Gaza and said Israel and the United States were pressing Hamas to give up weapons as part of that plan. The official said U.S. confidence that Hamas will disarm has been informed by public statements from people associated with the group.
"We are listening to many of their people talk about disarming. We think they’re going to. If they don’t disarm, then they’ve breached the deal. We think disarmament comes along with some sort of amnesty and candidly we think we have a very, very good program to disarm," the official said.
When asked whether Israel would accept an amnesty for Hamas members who surrendered their arms, the Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately provide a response.
The official's remarks reference a framework associated with President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza plan. Under that plan, once all hostages are returned, Hamas members who commit to peaceful co-existence and decommission their weapons would be eligible for amnesty. The plan also states that Hamas members who choose to leave Gaza would be offered safe passage to receiving countries.
Separately, the Israeli military said on Monday that the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, police officer Ran Gvili, who had been held for more than 840 days, have been identified and will be returned for burial.
The U.S. official's statement, delivered to reporters under the condition of anonymity, linked the questions of disarmament and amnesty directly to the envisioned redevelopment of Gaza, and positioned U.S. policy as contingent on Hamas honoring commitments to decommission weapons.
Summary note: Officials presented disarmament and amnesty as connected elements of a plan for Gaza; the remains of an Israeli hostage have been identified and will be returned.