Witkoff claims Hamas officials told him and Kushner they would disarm

US special envoy Steve Witkoff claims that Hamas officials told him and fellow Trump aide Jared Kushner that the terror group would disarm during their “famous meeting” hours before the ceasefire was inked on October 9.

“I hope that they keep their word because if they do, they’ll understand that the development plan that we have for Gaza is really terrific — a lot better than anyone has ever discussed before,” Witkoff continues, adding that it will include a “tremendous jobs program.”

Hamas officials have publicly taken a different stance, insisting either that the group will not disarm or have dodged the question entirely when pressed.

Privately, Arab diplomats familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel that Hamas has indicated openness to give up their heavy weaponry, while holding on to lighter arms, in what likely would be a non-starter for Israel given that those same guns were used to mow down Israelis on October 7, while they have also been used to suppress internal dissent within the Strip.

Still, Witkoff tells a conference in Miami that the US is “in the middle of standing up a decommissioning process [for] weapons — a demilitarization and amnesty program.”

“Hamas has always said that we’re going to need the international security force to come in here and be the layer [that] they give the weapons to,” Witkoff says, adding that he hopes to stand up that force in the next three weeks.

“That’ll be the inflection point where we see if everyone’s going to do as they say and demilitarize,” he says.

Hamas has repeatedly come out against foreign troops entering Gaza.