A month after Hamas rejected the Board of Peace's demand that it disarm, a new policy is being implemented in the Gaza Strip with the group's tacit consent, even though it has never been formally declared, according to a report by Ariel Kahana in Israel Hayom. The policy includes eliminating senior Hamas officials working to rebuild the organization, systematically thwarting operatives involved in the October 7 massacre, and shrinking the territory under Hamas control beyond what was originally set out in the ceasefire agreement. Israel Hayom reported that these elements of the policy have the acceptance of the Board of Peace, the international body Trump authorized to oversee Gaza's transition.
According to sources familiar with the details, because Hamas has not met its commitment to hand over its weapons, the Board and its Gaza representative, Nickolay Mladenov, view Israel as permitted to raise the level of its security activity inside Gaza at its own discretion. Mladenov has insisted publicly that Hamas disarm as it promised, arguing that doing so is the only path to bringing stability and reconstruction to the territory, and the Board has made clear that its broader Gaza rebuilding plan will not move forward without it.
Separately, Israel Hayom reported new details on the pilot program expected to begin near Rafah aimed at physically separating Gaza's civilian population from Hamas. After months of delay, training is expected to begin in the coming weeks for the Palestinian police force that will maintain order inside the designated "bubbles" where the trial will take place. Officers will be equipped only with Taser pistols rather than firearms, and each recruit will undergo individual background vetting to confirm he has no affiliation with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. In line with Israel's own position, the Board of Peace has accepted Israel's demand that the Palestinian Authority not return to govern in Gaza.
Under the plan, the trial zones will be surrounded by two security rings. The inner ring will be staffed by the International Stabilization Force, the multinational body known as the ISF. Around that, the IDF will deploy as a buffer separating Hamas from the ISF and preventing Hamas fighters from infiltrating the trial areas. The Board of Peace has concluded that separating Gaza's population from Hamas represents the single greatest threat to the organization's survival, and has decided to proceed with the pilot program even before Hamas disarms.
