US considering amnesty for Hamas fighters after disarmament – media
The US is considering granting amnesty to Hamas militants in exchange for disarmament under a Washington-brokered peace initiative, according to an American official cited by Reuters.
The report comes a day after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retrieved the body of the last hostage held by the Palestinian militant group, completing what was described as the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war. Israeli police officer Ran Gvili was captured along with more than 200 hostages as a result of the Hamas-led attack on Israel over two years ago.
“We think disarmament comes along with some sort of amnesty and candidly we think we have a very, very good program to disarm,” the official told the news agency on Monday, highlighting that the deal would be breached if Hamas did not disarm.
Under Trump’s original framework signed in late 2025, the return of all hostages, both living and dead, was meant to mark the end of the deal’s first phase. The White House announced that the agreement was moving into a second phase, described as focusing on Gaza’s reconstruction and demilitarization, hours before Gvili’s remains were returned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the next part of the deal is not about rebuilding the territory but about disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza. Hamas said its militants had assisted in locating Gvili’s body, describing the act as “confirmation of our commitment to the ceasefire.”
West Jerusalem has so far not commented on the latest remarks about granting amnesty to Hamas members if they give up their weapons.
During the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, 251 hostages were taken and around 1,200 people killed. Israel responded with a massive military campaign in Gaza that has killed nearly 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, according to the local health authorities.
