After the peace agreement in Gaza signed thanks to Trump, Hamas delays the surrender

A few hours after the official end of the war in the Gaza Strip was celebrated thanks to a ceasefire agreement promoted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, Hamas showed signs of delaying some of the key points of the plan.

A senior official of the group, Hazem Qassem, stated on Monday that the organization is not obligated to comply with all the terms of the agreement, especially those that require the disarmament of its forces and the transfer of control of the coastal enclave.

"We do not need to limit ourselves to Israeli definitions regarding weapons," Qassem declared to Al-Arabiya channel. "We will not be hostages to the conditions or demands of Israel. This will be one of the central points of struggle in the next stage, after the cessation of aggression in the Gaza Strip," he added.

These statements raised some questions about the future of the 20-point peace plan achieved by Trump, which was widely praised internationally for securing the release of the 20 hostages who remained alive and establishing a framework for the governance of Gaza once Hamas relinquished power. However, the details about when and how that transfer of power will take place have not yet been agreed upon.

The plan contemplates the formation of an administrative government led by Palestinian technocrats, with participation from the Palestinian Authority (PA) based in the West Bank. Hamas has said it is willing to accept this proposal in principle, although without committing to a complete withdrawal from the political and administrative landscape of the enclave.

Qassem suggested that Hamas should continue to have some kind of role within Gaza's "administrative arrangements", although he did not specify to what extent or under what conditions.

Despite Hamas's criticism of the PA, which they accused of inaction during the two years of war, Qassem indicated that they are willing to "open a new page" in the relationship with the body led by Mahmud Abbas, with the aim of reaching shared political understandings.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that his government will not allow any agreement that leads to the creation of a Palestinian state and demands the total disarmament of Hamas as an essential condition for the implementation of the ceasefire.

Israel insists that Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by multiple countries, can't continue to govern Gaza or retain weapons, given its declared objective of destroying the State of Israel.

The fragile ceasefire suffered its first breach just one day after it came into effect. On Tuesday, five Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City.

The Israeli army (IDF) stated that the deceased violated the terms of the agreement by crossing a "yellow line" and approaching Israeli troops deployed in the area. According to the IDF statement, the soldiers repeatedly tried to drive the suspects away before opening fire when they considered them a threat.