Report: American Meetings with Hamas and a Demand Document Delivered to Israel Regarding Gaza

SadaNews - An Israeli report stated on Monday evening that an official in President Donald Trump's administration held meetings over the past few months with Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya as part of discussions related to the disarmament process in Gaza.

This coincides with a report about Washington transferring a demand document to Israel regarding arrangements for the sector, which includes allowing steps related to infrastructure, governance, crossings, and reconstruction, under American pressure to prevent the renewal of war.

According to Israeli public broadcasting authority ("Kan 11"), the American official is Aryeh Lightstone, who works alongside American envoy Steve Witkoff and serves as an advisor to him, as well as an advisor to the "Peace Council" chaired by Trump.

According to the report, the meetings took place amid deliberations regarding what Washington and Tel Aviv describe as the process of dismantling Hamas's weapons, while Israel was aware of these meetings.

Meetings with Al-Hayya within the Miladinov Process

The authority reported that Witkoff himself had previously met directly with Al-Hayya, but that was, according to the report, as part of the communications that preceded the end of the war and the release of all Israeli prisoners.

As for Lightstone's meetings, they occurred, according to a source familiar who spoke to the Israeli channel, within the framework led by the senior representative in the "Peace Council" for Gaza, Nikolai Miladinov, concerning the proposed arrangements within Trump's plan.

It quoted Israeli sources as saying that Hamas is currently showing a much tougher stance in the negotiations, and that discussions "have regressed significantly", focusing on defining heavy and light weapons within the efforts to disarm Gaza.

In response to the report, the American administration referred the authority to the "Peace Council", where no official denied that the meetings took place. He said, "It is well known that in recent months, the Peace Council and its mediators have conducted several rounds of negotiations aimed at agreeing on a roadmap for disarmament in Gaza."

The official added that the council "continues diplomatic efforts to ensure this goal, alongside completing the formulation of steps related to enhancing governance, the rule of law, security, reconstruction, and economic development in Gaza."

American Demand Document to Israel

In another report broadcasted by "Kan 11", it mentioned that the United States transferred a demand document to Israel regarding the Gaza Strip, expecting Tel Aviv to approve it in writing.

According to the report, the document reflects American pressure to advance the implementation of Trump's plan regarding Gaza, even without fully disarming Hamas, and Washington's desire to prevent the renewal of war.

The document requests, according to the report, that Israel allow the implementation of infrastructure works in specific areas within the sector, including water and electricity, and commit to relocating residents from the area under Hamas control to areas under the responsibility of the "Peace Council" by the end of this year.

Washington also requests that Israel allow the construction of a central headquarters for a "technocrat government" in Gaza, and grant the necessary approvals for establishing bases for the international force to be deployed in the sector, within the arrangements promoted by the American administration.

The European Hospital, Crossings, and Funds

According to the report, the American demands include that Israel rehabilitate the European Hospital in Gaza, including allowing the entry of construction materials, medical equipment, and laboratories, and creating a transit corridor to it from the area under Hamas control.

The document also stipulates that Israel transfer the tax revenues due to the Palestinian Authority (the clearance tax) allocated for Gaza to the "Peace Council", in a step that reflects an American attempt to reorganize funding sources and administration in the sector.

The United States requests that Israel begin treating the "technocrat government" as the sovereign authority in Gaza. The document includes a clause stating that Israel should allow this body to move freely within and outside the sector for official purposes.

According to the report, the document stipulates that the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings be transferred to the responsibility of the "technocrat government", alongside allowing fuel distribution and making digital payments in its favor, to restrict Hamas's ability to collect revenues and impose taxes.

4G Communications and Conditional Amnesty

The American demands also include allowing the operation of a fourth-generation cellular communications network, currently prohibited in Gaza, and granting conditional amnesty to those who surrender their weapons and pledge to peace, according to the report.

In return, the document states, according to "Kan 11", that the "Peace Council" must take responsibility for the supply chain, fuel, and payments, and work to significantly reduce tax collection by Hamas.

The council also commits to taking responsibility for security and public order through a "International Stabilization Force", supported by an unarmed "Palestinian Civil Guard".

American Message: No Return to War

The document includes a clause granting Israel, according to the report, legitimacy to take "all necessary means" to protect its security if Hamas does not agree to disarm. However, the summary presented by the report indicates that Washington sends a message to Israel that the resumption of war in Gaza is not an option on the table.

According to the report, the American administration is pressuring Israel to move forward with the alternative it is establishing to Hamas's rule in the sector, even if the movement refuses to disarm.