Bolton: Gaza peace plan ‘simply doesn’t happen’ without Hamas demilitarization
Former national security adviser John Bolton, who served in President Trump’s first term, on Tuesday said peace in Gaza won’t be achieved until Hamas demilitarizes.
“This question of demilitarization of Hamas is the next key step, if there is going to be a next key step, in really bringing peace to Gaza,” Bolton said in an interview on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert.”
Bolton stressed the importance of securing the release of the 20 remaining Israeli hostages, who were freed from captivity Monday, but said it’s essential that Israel gain swift control of the vast tunnel system under Gaza.
“Nobody can dispute the importance of bringing the Israeli hostages back,” Bolton said, even as he raised doubts that Hamas is honoring its commitment to return all the deceased hostages.
“But the next step is this question of disarming the Hamas fighters and giving Israeli Defense Forces full access to the tunnel system — the fort that Hamas built under Gaza — so it can be destroyed,” he added.
“If you don’t get past that, the rest of the peace plan simply doesn’t happen,” he continued. “We’re 24 hours in, but it looks like that’s what’s beginning to happen.”
By not demanding that Hamas first disarm and step down from power, President Trump secured on Monday the release of the remaining 20 living hostages who were held by Hamas for over two years. Work is ongoing to locate and transfer to Israel the bodies of other hostages Hamas kidnapped during its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
The release of living and dead hostages is the first phase of a two-phase negotiation in Trump’s 20-point peace plan. The second phase requires negotiations for Hamas to disarm, renounce violence or choose exile from Gaza.
But since the ceasefire went into effect, Hamas has been carrying out a wave of retribution executions and asserting its control in areas of the Gaza Strip where Israel has withdrawn. According to a report from Reuters, Hamas has killed at least 33 people, with at least seven men dragged into Gaza City square on Monday.
Bolton said Tuesday that he doesn’t trust any commitments that Hamas, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), makes publicly. He said it’s clear Hamas is trying to reassert control of the territory.
“Hamas is not simply executing dissidents,” Bolston said. “It is reestablishing control to fight the war again. And anybody who doesn’t understand that really is not competent to judge what’s going on or is in somebody’s payroll.”
Trump said from the White House on Tuesday that if Hamas refuses to disarm, “we will disarm them.” His peace plan says that if Hamas refuses to surrender completely, Israel can restart military operations in Gaza.
“If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them and it’ll happen quickly and perhaps violently,” Trump said, adding that he gave the group a deadline of a “reasonable period of time.”