White House Needs to Confront Limits of Hamas Disarmament, Experts Say

The White House launched Phase 2 of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan last month, intending to transition the enclave toward demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction. But before those plans can move forward, the administration still needs to confront a central reality on the ground: Hamas remains armed and unwilling to cooperate.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, the Trump administration unveiled the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a committee of technocrats intended as a post-Hamas governing authority, alongside an outline for reconstructing the enclave.

That vision, however, was quickly challenged by Hamas’ leadership. Speaking at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, this past weekend, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who is under U.S. indictment on terrorism-related charges, rejected the U.N. Security Council–backed plan for Gaza — a move that could complicate disarmament and Phase 2 efforts.

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Experts told Jewish Insider that the administration’s expectation that Hamas can be persuaded to voluntarily hand over its weapons is detached from the group’s incentives and its perception of the war’s outcome.

“Without first disarming Hamas, progress on every other facet of Phase 2 will be minimal at best,” said Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. “The U.S. needs to adapt its strategy, which remains stuck on convincing Hamas to hand over its weapons.”

Ruhe said Hamas believes it “won the war” and therefore “can’t be incentivized to give up” power.

He added that, absent voluntary disarmament, the administration may need to consider using well-vetted and tightly overseen “private military contractors” to carry out the task, a suggestion also recently put forward by former special envoy for Iran and Venezuela Elliott Abrams and JINSA’s Eric Edelman and Rena Gabber.

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