Hamas leader in Gaza Khalil al-Hayya has adopted a more rigid stance on disarmament during recent negotiations with Aryeh Lightstone, a senior official in the Trump administration, according to reports citing Israeli sources. Lightstone, who also serves as an adviser to Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, has engaged in direct talks with al-Hayya in recent months.
These meetings were reportedly communicated to Jerusalem, with sources familiar with the matter indicating they were part of broader negotiations overseen by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for the Gaza Strip. The discussions have reportedly focused on defining what constitutes heavy and light weapons within the framework of the Board of Peace's plan to disarm Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.
A representative for the Board of Peace confirmed to Kan News that multiple rounds of negotiations have taken place with the objective of establishing a roadmap for disarmament in Gaza. The organization stated that diplomatic efforts are ongoing to achieve this goal, alongside the finalization of measures concerning governance, the rule of law, security, reconstruction, and economic development in the territory.
Under the second phase of Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, Gaza is slated for deradicalization and demilitarization. This phase includes the potential deployment of an International Stabilization Force to areas currently under Israeli military control within the strip.
However, senior Hamas figures, including Khaled Mashaal and Musa Abu Marzouk, have previously rejected key elements of Trump’s plan, particularly disarmament, despite having initially agreed to the proposal in October.
In April, Mladenov described the ongoing disarmament discussions with Hamas as “very serious” but acknowledged they were “not easy.” He also suggested that a timeframe for reaching an agreement on implementation was pressing, estimating it would take “a matter of days, maximum a couple of weeks” to maintain momentum, as further delays would complicate decision-making.