WASHINGTON: The United States believes that disarmament by Hamas fighters in Gaza would be accompanied by some form of amnesty for the Palestinian group, a U.S. official said Monday.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official made the remarks as the remains of the last Israeli hostage held by Hamas were returned. The United States and Israel are pushing for Hamas to lay down its weapons as part of a broader plan to rebuild Gaza after months of conflict.
The official said U.S. officials are confident Hamas will agree to disarm.
“We are hearing many of their people talk about disarming. We think they’re going to,” the official said. “If they don’t, then they’ve breached the deal. We believe disarmament would come with some form of amnesty, and we think we have a strong program to make it happen.”