There is once again hope for a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been facing war, bombing and humanitarian crisis for almost two years. Talks are going on between Hamas, other Palestinian groups and international mediators in the Egyptian capital Cairo. But this time the talks are stuck not on any border, prisoner exchange or relief material, but on weapons. In fact, Nikolai Mladenov, an official associated with the international system created for the post-war management of Gaza, has demanded that Gaza should be completely weapon-free. He says that not a single bullet, not a single gun and not even the network of Hamas tunnels should be left there.
This demand has now become the biggest obstacle to peace talks. Under the US-backed ceasefire plan, Hamas has been asked to provide information about its heavy weapons, missiles and military infrastructure. Besides, information about maps of tunnels and weapon making workshops has also been sought. Although Hamas has for the first time shown willingness to negotiate on surrendering some of its heavy weapons, it is not ready to disarm completely.
What is the whole controversy?
The real dispute is about “Clause 8” of the ceasefire proposal prepared in October 2025. In this clause, it has been decided how the security system of Gaza will be run after the end of the war and what will happen to the weapons. International mediators want weapons to be deposited first, while Hamas and other Palestinian groups say that first the Israeli army should completely withdraw from Gaza and the political rights of Palestinians should be guaranteed.
Israel’s demand
Later the dispute escalated when Israel demanded that all Hamas tunnels be destroyed and its military infrastructure be completely destroyed. Palestinian groups rejected this. They say that giving up arms would mean weakening both their security and political power. On the other hand, Palestinian leaders have also accused Nikolai Mladenov of bias. He says that he is putting forward Israel’s demands rather than being a mediator.
dismissed the allegations
However, the “Board of Peace” has rejected these allegations. The organization says that this plan is not limited to weapons only, but it also includes issues like security, humanitarian aid, reconstruction, administration and withdrawal of Israeli forces. At present, Gaza talks have reached such a point where both sides are talking about peace, but no one seems ready to step back regarding weapons. This is the reason why the path to ceasefire still does not seem easy.
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