Hamas is expected to hand over the body of the last Israeli captive held in Gaza in the coming days and has commented that it would be open to discussing “freezing” its weapons to facilitate entering the second phase of the ceasefire.

As Israel and Hamas prepare to move towards the second stage of a United States-led blueprint intended to bring an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, disputes are emerging over the proposed role of an international stabilisation force in the enclave.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump recently discussed disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and expanding peace agreements. The remarks came after an Israeli operation in southern Syria in which the IDF said troops clashed with and captured suspects linked to Jaama Islamiy,