Hamas has declared it will never surrender its weapons, described as the "soul" of its resistance setting a definitive red line against a central demand of the U.S.-backed peace plan and creating an impassable roadblock for the proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza. Senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal stated the idea of total disarmament is "unacceptable" and that weapons would only be laid down upon the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Instead, Hamas is only open to discussing a temporary "freeze" or "storage" of its arsenal during a ceasefire, with regional guarantors ensuring no Israeli escalation.
The United States is advancing plans to form and lead the ISF, with preparations to appoint an American two-star general as its commander. A draft UN Security Council resolution, crafted by the U.S., authorizes this force to use "all necessary measures" to ensure the demilitarization of Gaza, framing it as an enforcement mission rather than a traditional peacekeeping body. This American-led initiative is viewed by Palestinian analysts as a strategic move to replace direct Israeli occupation with a "multilateral security sovereignty" managed by Washington, serving long-term U.S. and Israeli interests in the region while sidestepping Palestinian political aspirations.
Hamas and regional allies have rejected this envisioned role. The group states it will not accept the ISF operating with a mandate inside Palestinian territory, comparing such a scenario to a new occupation. Instead, Hamas would only welcome a UN-supervised force deployed along Gaza's borders to monitor the ceasefire, similar to the UNIFIL model in Lebanon. Key mediators like Turkey and Egypt have echoed this skepticism. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan argued the force's first task should be to separate the warring sides, not to disarm Palestinians, while Egypt's Foreign Minister insisted its role must be "peace monitoring not peace enforcement".
The dispute over the stabilization force unfolds as Israel entrenches its control over the territory. Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military remains in control of approximately 53% of the Gaza Strip, having withdrawn only to positions behind a designated "yellow line". Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has explicitly referred to this line as a "new border" and a "forward defensive line," a declaration perceived by Palestinians as a statement of intent for permanent division and a violation of the ceasefire's spirit.
This ongoing occupation undermines the truce's foundations. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a key mediator, has warned that a true ceasefire "cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal" of Israeli forces. The continued Israeli control, coupled with hundreds of Palestinian fatalities since the truce began, has led mediators to describe the situation merely as a "pause" at a "critical moment" that risks collapse.
The Trump administration is pushing to implement the second phase of its plan, which includes ISF deployment, early in 2026. However, this externally driven timeline clashes fundamentally with Palestinian demands for justice and self-determination. The U.S. plan envisions a "Board of Peace" expected to be led by President Trump overseeing Gaza's governance and reconstruction until at least the end of 2027. Critics argue this structure places Gaza under a form of international trusteeship that indefinitely delays sovereign Palestinian control.
The core of the impasse remains Israel's demand for demilitarization versus Hamas's condition of statehood. Israeli officials insist Hamas "will be disarmed" and that it can happen "the easy way or the hard way". Hamas, invoking the historical context of Palestinian disarmament followed by violence, views its weapons as an essential insurance policy. As senior official Bassem Naim posed, "OK, Palestinians have to be disarmed. What about the other side?". With both sides holding diametrically opposed positions on this existential issue, the path forward for any international force remains blocked, leaving Gaza in a state of fragile limbo between war and an uncertain peace.