The US-led Gaza Board of Peace has submitted a disarmament proposal to Hamas, demanding a response by the end of the week, three sources told The Times of Israel on April 7.

The international body overseeing postwar management of the Gaza Strip is determined to advance reconstruction efforts despite the ongoing Iran war, which has continued to take much of the attention closer to home for the Israeli military.

Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov allegedly met with senior Hamas officials in Cairo on April 3, where the group was informed that the oversight board wants a disarmament agreement finalised by week's end, two Arab diplomats and a third source confirmed.

The sources clarified that minor amendments to the proposal would be considered, whilst requests for fundamental changes would not be accepted.

The deadline represents a critical juncture in implementing the second phase of US President Donald Trump's Gaza plan. Mladenov believes advancing this phase remains possible, one Arab diplomat noted, though mediating countries Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey are less optimistic.

Regional mediators are pressing Hamas to accept the US-backed proposal, but the group is "unlikely to say 'yes' without significant caveats," the diplomat stated, adding that Israeli compliance remains doubtful given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition pressures during an election year favoring permanent Israeli presence in Gaza.

At the Cairo meeting, Hamas refrained from outright rejection of the proposal first presented last month. Instead, officials highlighted what they characterised as Israeli violations of the Trump plan's first phase, citing limited Rafah Crossing operations, insufficient aid deliveries, repeated IDF strikes deep inside Gaza, and Jerusalem's expansion of the Yellow Line ceasefire demarcator.

The disarmament plan envisions the destruction of Hamas's tunnel network and the phased weapons handover over eight months. Gaza's reconstruction is contingent on Hamas acceptance, with the proposal specifying that a Board of Peace-backed Palestinian technocratic committee would assume security control, culminating in complete Israeli withdrawal upon "verification that Gaza is free of weaponry." 

The leaked framework includes a 12-point implementation document and five-stage timeline requiring all armed factions, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to participate in disarmament overseen by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.