US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that there are “promising signs” that Hamas will disarm.
elchi reports that in an interview with Fox News, Rubio spoke about the Gaza plan prepared by the US.
Claiming that the disarmament of Hamas is essential for the implementation of the Gaza plan, Rubio said: “This must happen. This whole project will only work if Hamas is disarmed. Until that happens, everything will remain uncertain.”
Rubio stated: “There were promising signs last weekend that we were close to reaching an agreement on disarmament.”
Refusing to answer whether the US would support Israel restarting the war if Hamas does not lay down its weapons, Rubio said: “The outcome we want is the disarmament of Hamas and Palestinian security forces securing Gaza with the support of international security forces.”
Disarmament demand complicates negotiations
Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated in a statement to an AA correspondent on April 22 that ignoring the obligations of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and insisting on disarmament contradicts the Gaza plan.
Spokesperson Qassem said: “Insisting on raising the issue of disarmament and bypassing the obligations of the first phase of the agreement is contrary to the spirit of the ceasefire agreement and the vision of US President Donald Trump.”
Qassem added: “The main obstacle to the progress of the second phase of the ceasefire is Israel’s intransigent position and its linking of all processes to the issue of disarmament.”
Ceasefire negotiations and Israeli violations
Hamas announced that a delegation went to Cairo on April 2 to monitor the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 2025 and to hold talks with the Egyptian administration.
According to data released by the Palestinian Authority on April 14, Israel has violated the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at least 2,400 times since the agreement reached on October 10, 2025.
It was reported that since the ceasefire, 786 people have been killed and 2,217 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza, and 761 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Also, it was announced that the total number of deaths in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 has reached 72,593, and the number of injured has reached 172,399.
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